A Natural Father
by Lia06
Summary: Betty Suarez is pregnant and needs some support. Daniel Meade is lonely and wants to be a father. This story is on indefinite and most probably eternal hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. This isn't in the same universe as my _Episodes of a Life _story; this story exists in its own little happy world. I think some similar ideas have been done but I'm trying this with a little bit of a different twist.

Title: A Natural Father

Summary: Betty Suarez is pregnant and needs some support. Daniel Meade is lonely and wants to be a father.

Rating: T

Chapter One

"I, Gabriella, take you, Peter, to be my lawfully wedded husband for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live."

Daniel Meade and his wife watched as their oldest daughter promised now, always, and forever to Peter Mariano, her long-time boyfriend. Twenty-five years earlier, Gabriella Rosa Meade's birth had turned the lives of both of her parents upside down and changed everything for both of them. Daniel squeezed Betty's hand as tears slid down her face and he smiled remembering how one little baby girl had changed so much in his life.

"What's wrong?" Daniel Meade asked his assistant as he walked by her desk one Monday morning in September. "You look like someone just shot your bunny."

Betty Suarez looked up at her boss with a faint smile. "I had a rough weekend."

"Do you want to follow me into my office and tell me about it?"

She shrugged. "I'm not really sure."

"That wasn't really a question," he said setting his briefcase and coat down on her desk. Then he grabbed the back of her desk chair and started pulling it and Betty towards his office.

"I can walk," she protested.

"Okay, stand up," he told her. She did so and he took her hand and began leading her into his office. "Come on, Betty; we're going to talk."

"Daniel, you don't have to do this. We can talk later like at lunch or after work."

"We could but we're going to do this later. It'll be easier for you to work if you get this off your chest. Now sit in my chair and I'll sit over here. And then you can tell me why you look like death warmed over."

"You're so charming," she replied as she sat down in his chair. "I can see where you got your reputation as New York's sexiest bachelor from."

He rolled his eyes and smiled at her. "Spill your guts, please."

"Jesse and I broke up on Friday night," she said looking down at her hands in her lap and avoiding his bright blue eyes.

"And why didn't I find out about this until today?"

She took a deep breath. "I've been hiding in my apartment all weekend. He lives right across the hall and I don't want to see him; he just dumped me. You don't want to see your ex-boyfriend who just dumped you because you don't fit in with his goals right now. Plus, I've had a stomach bug for the past week or so. So I didn't really feel like going out or see anyone or anything. I've just been feeling really gross."

"How are you feeling today?" he asked with concern in his eyes and his voice.

"Nauseous," she replied. "But it's probably just from the break-up."

"Do you want to just take the day off? If you don't want to go to your apartment, I can give you the keys to my place and you can go rest there or something."

She shook her head. "No, Daniel, I'm fine. I just need to focus on something other than Jesse and nausea. I think working will be good for me."

"Would a hug help?"

Betty smiled and looked up at him shyly. "I think it might."

He stood up. "Then come here."

She walked over to her boss who pulled her into his arms and held her close. He kissed the top of her head as he pulled back a bit and looked into her eyes. "How are you doing now?"

"I feel like I'm going to vomit."

He grabbed his trash can and shoved it into her hands. Then as she threw up, he pulled her hair away from her face and held it until the retching stopped. "What can I get for you?" he asked, as he put the trash can back down on the ground.

She shook her head. "I just want to sleep. I feel like shit."

He pulled her back into his arms and started rubbing circles on her back with his thumbs. "Do you want me to take you to my apartment?" he offered. "You can take the day off and just rest."

"I don't want to be alone. I was alone all weekend; and it's lonely and sad and I hate it."

"Then I can bring my laptop and cell phone with me," Daniel told her. "I can work from home and you can rest and watch TV. I'll make you chicken noodle soup if you come."

"I've been feeling like this for at least a week," she told him. "I thought it would get better after a couple of days but it hasn't. It's just getting worse."

He put the back of his hand on her forehead. "You don't really feel very warm."

"But I'm always nauseous and I feel like death warmed over."

"We're going to my apartment; you can't argue with me. You're sick and I'm going to take care of you."

"Daniel, what if I'm sick like this because I'm pregnant?" Betty asked her friend later that day as he made her chicken noodle soup.

He looked at her as he poured the contents of the Campbell's can into the pot on the stove. "Do you think you could be?"

She shrugged. "I haven't gotten my period in a while and I've been getting really sick every morning for over a week."

"How would Jesse feel about it if you were?" he asked tentatively.

She shook her head. "Oh god, I don't want to think about that. I doubt that he would even want to consider it. We broke up because he didn't want to be in a serious relationship right now. He wants to concentrate on his music without any distractions and a baby would definitely be a distraction from his music."

"There's only one way to find out if you're pregnant or not," he told her.

She sighed. "I know. But I don't want to have to tell my dad if I am. He's going to kill me. He was so pissed when Santos got Hilda pregnant. I can't tell him that my boyfriend got me pregnant and then dumped me. He didn't like Henry; how would he feel about this? This is me pregnant and there's no father to kill."

"Sweetie, find out if you're pregnant before you worry about anything else."

"Daniel, this is my whole life that I have to worry about. I have all these dreams and plans. And now a baby, being a single mother isn't exactly easy. I can't raise a baby alone and keep working towards my dreams or even moving ahead in my career at _Mode_. This is going to change everything and I can't do this alone."

"I know," he told her. "But you're not alone. I'm here and I'm willing to help you as much as you need. But before we worry anything else, let's find out if there is a baby or not."

"I'm not dragging you into this, Daniel. This isn't your baby and I'm not going to make you deal with a pregnant woman and a baby whose real father doesn't even want."

"It doesn't count as being dragged if I willingly offer to help you. You're not making me do anything; I'm offering to do something. But before you start panicking, let's just buy a pregnancy test and if it comes back positive, you can schedule a doctor's appointment. We'll take it from there"

She took a deep breath. "You're not going to be the one buying the test."

"Why not?" he asked

"You're Daniel Meade; think about how it would look if you were seen buying a pregnancy test. I'll go buy it and then I'll come back here."

"All right," he said with sigh.

"So how long do we wait?"

"Three minutes," Betty said looking at her cell phone and sitting down on the toilet seat. "In three minutes, we're going to know my fate."

Daniel, who was kneeling next to her, smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "I'm here. Just wait and see what happens."

"And if I am pregnant, then what are we going to do?"

"I'll help you through everything. I'll be there for as much as you want me to be there for. I'll tell your dad with you. I can go to doctor's appointments with you. I can go shopping for baby clothes with you. I'll help you decorate the baby's room. I won't let you lift anything heavier than a credit card. If you want, I can be there when the baby is born. Whatever you want, I'll be there for you."

She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm afraid, Daniel."

He hugged her. "I know. But I'm your friend and I'm not going to leave your side until you tell me to go away. And even then I might not go away."

"Do you want to read the stick for me?"

He took the pregnancy test from her hand and looked at it. "It's a pink line."

She let out a breath she hadn't realized that she'd been holding. "I need to call my doctor," she said opening her cell phone.

Daniel threw the pregnancy test away. "Come here, Betty."

"What? Why?" she asked as she pressed buttons on her phone.

He pulled her close to his chest and held her for a minute or two. "I'm not going anywhere," he told her. "I'm here for you."

"I'm not ready for this."

"I know," he said with a smile. "But I'm going to help you."

"I can't tell Jesse," she said as a tear slid down her cheek. "I don't want him to be the father. He won't want to be the father."

"He doesn't have to be the father but you do have to tell him. As the baby's father, he has a right to know. This is his child."

"And what if he doesn't want the baby?" Betty asked, clinging to Daniel. "Who is going to be the father then? Daniel, who will be this baby's father? He is the father but I don't want him to be there for this and I don't think he would want to be there anyway."

"You have to give him a chance. But if he doesn't want to be the father, then he doesn't have to."

"Who will be the dad then?" she asked. "Are you going to be the father of my baby?"

He nodded. "Yes, that's what I'm trying to tell you. You're my best friend and you've been there for me through so much shit. Now you're going to give me a chance to do that for you."

"Are you serious?"

"I love being a dad," he told her. "Having DJ in my life made me want to be a dad. You know this; I've told you this. I want a family, someone I can spend the rest of my life with. Now if you need a dad for your baby, I'll be there for you. But you need to talk to Jesse and give him a chance first."

She nodded. "But I'm calling the doctor first. I'm not going to talk to him about this if there isn't a baby."

The next day Betty came into work after lunch. Daniel had given her the morning off so she could go to the doctor and then talk to Jesse if it were necessary. She stuck her head into his office when she got there. "Hey, I'm here."

He was on the phone but he motioned her into the room. She reluctantly sat down across from his desk and waited until he was off the phone. "How is everything?" he asked after he hung up his phone.

"I'm pregnant," she told him, her eyes fixed on her hands in her lap. "And then I talked to Jesse at his apartment. I explained everything to him and he said you can claim the baby as your own. He doesn't want it; he said he can't handle any commitments outside of his music right now."

He wanted to punch Jesse but he knew if he mentioned that particular desire Betty would just remind him that he sucked at fighting. So he focused his attentions on taking care of his best friend and her baby. "Where do you want to go from here?"

"Do you want to see the baby?" she asked.

Daniel smiled. "Sure, I'd love to."

She handed him the ultrasound. "I'm about two and a half months along; they were surprised that I didn't notice anything earlier. I guess I've just been too busy or stressed or something."

"So you're due in April?"

She nodded. "April 7 is the big day."

"And how are you doing?"

"Do you promise you'll be there for everything? And you'll tell everyone especially my dad that you're the baby's father?"

Daniel walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. "Look into my eyes and listen to me. I'm promising you that I will be this baby's daddy. I'll be there for you every step of the way from doctor's appointments to buying clothes to the nursery to labor and delivery to kindergarten to college graduation. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled. "You're in this for the long haul?"

He squeezed her hands and held them firmly in his own. "I'm going to be the dad, not just tell people I'm the father. I told you that I wanted a family."

"Daniel Meade, you're an amazing best friend."

"But how are we actually going to do this? How will this work practically?" Betty asked Daniel over dinner in his apartment that night. "Are we going to live together? Or we share custody of the baby? Daniel, I don't want to stay in my apartment and live near Jesse anymore, not with the baby."

"We could get a three-bedroom apartment someplace in the city," he suggested. "There'd be a room for you, one for the baby, and another for me."

"But what if one of us ever gets married?"

"You could marry me," Daniel replied with a mischievous smile. "Then you, the baby, and I could make a real family."

"Daniel, let's be serious here. Someday you'll meet some amazing girl and you'll want to marry her. And you won't want to have your other family living with you still."

He sighed. "Betty, we could start with this idea. And if something changes, then you and the baby can move to another apartment in the same building. But this baby needs a family and you need to move and I have an apartment with two bedrooms. Come live with me. It'll be simple, just as friends. And this way I can help you more during your pregnancy and when the baby is little. And we can find a bigger apartment before the baby comes, one with enough room for all three of us."

"Daniel, when people find out that I'm pregnant, what are they going to think of us? They're either going to think that I'm some drunken mistake or that we're together."

"Let them think what they want," he replied fiercely. "I don't care."

"Well I do care," she protested. "I care what people think about you and I'm not going to have people gossiping about you and your drunken mistakes."

"I don't want people to think that this baby is one of my drunken screw-ups. But I don't care if people think that we're dating."

Betty looked at him. "You'd let people think that you, Daniel Meade, are dating me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked.

"Have you looked at me recently?"

He sighed. "I told you I don't care what people think of me. This is about you, your baby, and me. I'm not going anywhere."

"You don't have to do this."

"Betty, stop arguing with me about this. I'm going to do this. You can live with me and I'll help you with this. I'm not leaving you alone."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I care about you," he told her. "I really and honestly care about you and I don't want you to be alone in this."

"You really don't have to do all of this."

"I know," he replied. "But I want to do this. If you're game for it, I'll help you move this weekend. But first, we're going to talk to your dad together."

"I guess I could call him and ask him what night we can come over for dinner."

"Do it," he told her.

"Right now, why? I can't call my dad right now. It'll make him suspicious."

Daniel wrapped his arm around Betty's shoulders. "Sweetie, I hate to tell you this but he's going to be suspicious no matter what if you tell him that you want to have dinner with him and I need to come too."

"Oh god," she sighed. "How long have we been dating for?"

"At least four months," he replied. "That way we didn't necessarily sleep together until we'd been together for at least a month. Does that sound good to you?"

Betty smiled. "Yes, that sounds like something I might actually do. It might be a little fast for me but maybe it was a late night and we'd be drinking or we were stressed."

"So we're still going to blame alcohol for this? I am a Meade; please remember that. And I thought you didn't want drunken mistakes to get involved in this."

"Okay so we were working late and we were stressed."

"And this somehow led to unprotected sex and now you're pregnant." Daniel shook his head. "This really does sound like something I would do."

Betty laughed. "We're going to be parents."

"I think we'll be good at it. I have faith in us. And besides, we have six and a half months to get ready."

"Daniel, will you kiss me?"

"Why?"

"We supposedly had sex together and I don't even know what it feels like to be kissed by you."

"I've kissed your cheeks and your forehead a million times."

"Kiss me for real, please. Will you kiss me like you mean it?"

He smiled and pulled her closer to himself. "This could be slightly awkward," he warned her. "I've never done anything quite like this."

And then he kissed her. He wasn't really expecting anything out of the kiss and neither was she. She just wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed by Daniel Meade. But they both found themselves breathless and longing for me. He was suddenly pulling her closer to himself and she was clinging to him. When they pulled apart, she moved away from him and stared at him. "Does that happen to you often?" she asked. "That has never happened to me."

He looked at her. "It's never been like that. I've had some good moments but nothing like that."

"Okay, so you'll stay on your side of the couch and I'll stay on mine. And we'll just pretend that never happened."

Daniel was still just looking at his assistant in amazement. Who knew that such passion was inside of someone so small? And there was so much chemistry in that kiss and he knew that they'd both felt the sparks. "Betty, that was crazy."

"I'm going now," she said jumping up off the couch. "I should go home and call my dad. I'll tell you tomorrow when we're doing dinner with him."

"It wasn't a bad thing," he said, getting up and following her to the kitchen.

She turned and looked at him. He could see the fear in her eyes. "I need to go," she told him.

"What's wrong, Betty?"

"It, it-Daniel, it's never been like that, not with Walter, not with Henry, and not with Jesse. I need to go home. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"If you're going to move in with me this weekend, we have to talk about this soon."

"Not right now," she protested. "We'll talk about it later."

"But we're going to talk about it."

"I promise you."

The next morning, Daniel walked into work with a bagel and a cup of coffee in his hand and went to his assistant's desk. "The coffee is decaf," he told her.

"We're having dinner with my dad tomorrow night, if that works for you," she said without looking up at him.

"It's perfect," he replied, still holding the cup of coffee out to her. "The coffee is decaf, no more caffeine for you."

She smiled up at him. "Your coffee and bagel are on your desk."

He laughed. "Thanks. Can you eat the bagel right now? Or should I have gotten something that's easier on your stomach?"

"I'll be honest. I can only really eat rice cakes and saltines in the morning. I can't even really stand to see anything else."

"So no more buying my morning bagel," he told her. "If it makes you queasy, I can do it; I'm a big boy."

Betty smiled. "But I'm your assistant, Daniel. It's part of my job."

"Don't argue with me. This is about your health and the baby. And I'm your boss, so what I say goes."

"Does that also apply to talking about last night?"

He nodded with a gentle smile. "Lunch or dinner, it's your pick. But we're going to talk. Betty, something happened last night and we can't deny it."

"Dinner," she replied. "No one can watch us then."

Daniel squeezed her hand. "Should we have dinner at my place or yours?"

"Mine," she said. "I can make you dinner then. We won't have to eat take-out again."

He nodded as he noticed that she was still clinging to his hand. "I'll just have Martin take both of us to your place after work then."

She smiled and released his hand. "You're a good man, Daniel Meade."

"I try," he told her. "I'm just trying to be a good friend."

Betty watched Daniel throughout the day and became increasingly aware that her boss was watching her. She could see concern in his eyes. She knew that something had happened the night before and she was afraid of it. Daniel knew what had happened too. And she was afraid of that. She knew that he would be a good father, a great father. He had been a natural with DJ. She didn't know where that had come from. But Daniel Meade was an amazing father; it was like he had been born to be a father. And here he was offering to help her raise her baby. It wasn't his kid but he wanted to help. He wanted a family. His eyes had been so earnest, so eager when he had made his offer. She knew he was sincere. But he was getting himself into a lifelong commitment and she wasn't sure he completely understood that. But hey, at least he was offering. The day before, Jesse had told her that "Well, I'm really sorry but I can't be there for you or a kid right now. I can't financially afford a kid right now. And I'm not ready for that kind of commitment. I just can't do a kid right now. I'm not that kind of a guy. Honestly, I'm not a kid person. Plus you know; we broke up; we're over. I'm sorry but I'm just not able to help you with this whole having a baby bit."

Daniel, on the other hand, loved kids and apparently really wanted to have at least one. She'd seen him with DJ, his nephew. And she'd seen his face when she told him that she was pregnant. He wasn't exactly thrilled but he was sensitive and he was willing to help her. And he would be a great dad. And maybe they could figure out what happened the night before. There had been some chemistry there. And that both scared and excited Betty. After all, this was Daniel Meade.

A/N: Umm…so what do you think? Do you like it? Should I come up with a new idea? Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. This isn't in the same universe as my _Episodes of a Life _story; this story exists in its own little happy world. I think some similar ideas have been done but I'm trying this with a little bit of a different twist.

"Daniel, what are we exactly?" Betty asked her boss and friend as she made dinner that night.

He looked at her. "Well, I'm your boss and you're my assistant. And I think you're probably my best friend; you mean more to me than Becks does and that's really saying something. What do you think?"

She smiled. "I agree that you're my boss and I'm your assistant. And I think that we're really good, close friends. But what about last night, what happened there?"

"We kissed," he replied.

"I know that. But what did it mean?"

He shrugged. "We kissed and it was probably the most amazing kiss of my life."

"Daniel, don't say things like that. Don't use your lines on me; I'm not going to sleep with you. I'm already pregnant with another man's baby."

"So we don't have to worry about anything," he teased. "It's ready-made birth control."

"Keep it in your pants, Daniel Meade; just do it for one night. I think you'll find it's actually better than you think. But what did that kiss mean for us?"

"Betty," he said slowly. "I don't know what it meant. I know it meant something. But I don't know what it meant. You're pregnant. And I'm Daniel Meade."

"And I'm Ugly Betty. I know what people think and say about me."

"No, you're not Ugly, Betty. You're beautiful and amazing and intelligent. I really and genuinely care about you. You mean the world to me."

She looked at him blandly. "Prove it to me."

"How do you want me to do that?"

"I don't know."

"Let's see if this works," he said as he kissed her again. When he pulled away, he looked into her eyes. "Does that help you out at all?"

"You're Daniel Meade; you've kissed hundreds of women. It's always like that for you. It might feel amazing for me but for you I'm just another woman; I'm just another game and another kiss."

"Betty, stop it and listen to me! I'm trying to explain something to you; I care about you. I'm here because I care about you and this baby. I don't know how to prove it to you. If you think that I'm just a player who won't treat you right, then you're wrong. But I don't know how to prove that to you. Just stay with me and trust me. I'll be patient. I'll be slow. But I'm not going anywhere. And that's a promise."

Betty started to slump and Daniel reached out for her. "I'm afraid, Daniel. I'm afraid of this. I'm not ready to be a mother. I'm not ready to have a baby or be responsible for someone else's life."

He hugged her close to his chest. "I know. But I'm here. I'm here now, Betty," he told her, leading her over to the couch. "You're not doing this alone. You've got me. And I'm pretty sure that your dad will support both of us in this. It's not just you against the world anymore. It's you, it's me, and then we'll have this baby." He tentatively put his hand on her still flat stomach and she smiled shyly as if she was afraid of what he was doing but enjoying it at the same time. "I know you're afraid. You can't imagine how I felt when I found out that I had a son. I'm Daniel Meade; I thought that I couldn't be a parent; I was too shallow. But you were there for me then. I learned that I could be a dad. And I'm going to be here for you now. This little baby will grow up with a mommy and a daddy. I'm promising you this. I will be there for you and for the baby."

"But what about us, what will become of us?"

"We could start dating," he said shyly.

Betty smiled. Daniel Meade was never shy; he hadn't even been shy about being the baby's father. But now he was shy and he was so cute when he was shy. "We could," she said slowly. "After all, we're going to tell people that we're dating."

"Think about it, Betty," he said. "It'll be different and probably hard. But we can do it. You and I are a great team; we'll just take it to the next level. If things don't work out, I'm still here for you and the baby."

She looked at him and took his hand. "Let's go slowly. Please, we need to go slowly. I just broke up with Jesse last week. And there's a baby involved. It's more than just you and me."

He nodded and squeezed her hand. "I completely understand. We'll take it slowly."

"No more kissing," she said.

"And tomorrow night, we tell your dad."

Betty nodded. "I'm afraid of telling him. He's not going to like it."

"It'll be fine. We'll tell him that we're dating and we're having a baby. We don't know where we're going from here but we're both committed to having this baby."

"And, Dad, both Daniel and I are very committed to having this baby," Betty told her father the next night. "We both want the baby."

"And I'm going to be there for Betty and the baby every step of the way," Daniel added. "I'm not going to bail on her or go anywhere. We're going to raise the baby together."

"How did this happen?"

"We were working late one night about two months ago," Betty said. "We'd been dating for about a month or so and things got a little hot and heavy."

"What about Jesse?" Ignacio asked. "I thought you were dating him."

"We broke up a while ago," Betty admitted. "I just didn't tell anyone."

"Don't lie to me, Betty. I'm your father and I know you. This isn't Daniel's baby; this is Jesse's baby, isn't it?"

Betty nodded. "He doesn't want it, but Daniel does."

"Why are you two doing this?"

"We're friends," Daniel said, taking Betty's hand. "And we care about each other. I'm not letting her do this alone."

"Are you two dating?"

"We're taking things slowly," was his daughter's response. "We'll see how things go."

"Be careful with this. It isn't just the two of you; you have a baby to worry about."

"We know," Daniel replied. "The baby remains our number one priority. We're putting him or her above our relationship and our personal interests."

"When is the baby due?" Ignacio asked.

"April 7," Betty told him.

Ignacio turned his eyes to Daniel. "And you're going to be there for my little girl the whole time? You'll help her every step of the way?"

Daniel nodded. "I'm in this for the long haul."

"If you screw up, I'll kill you. You do understand that, don't you?"

Again, Daniel nodded. "I completely understand. And if I screw this up, you have my permission to kill me."

"Thanks."

Betty smiled at her father and her Daniel. She didn't know what to call Daniel anymore or how to define their relationship. He was still her boss but what else was he? Were they friends or were they something else, something more? Life, unfortunately, was never easy. And bringing a baby into the world wasn't going to make it any easier. But she had Daniel and her father; she could do it, somehow.

"We have to tell my family at some point," Daniel said when they were back at Betty's apartment after they left the Suarez house. "We knew your dad would be fine with this."

Betty nodded. "We should have known he would figure it out though. He knows me too well to fall for that story."

"Do you think anyone else will have trouble believing the story?"

She shook her head. "Hilda might but probably not. Christina won't. And everyone else at _Mode_ will believe whatever you tell them to believe."

"So are you going to move in this weekend?"

She nodded. "I'll need some help but I think I know a strong, muscular man who can help me."

"I have competition?"

"It's just my boss," she replied. "He's a really great, sweet guy. You'd like him. He's a good friend and he's helping me out with some really tough stuff I've been going through. And I'm really grateful for him."

Daniel smiled. "You're a great person and I don't want to see you get hurt anymore. I'm sick of standing by and watching guys mess with you. I'm not doing that anymore. I want a family. I want a real life."

"You're really amazing. I'm not sure what I'd be doing with you right now."

"You don't have to think about that. You've got me."

"Can I just name the baby after you?"

He laughed and hugged her. "Daniel or Danielle, is that what you're thinking?"

"Actually I was thinking Daniela."

"Daniela Suarez," he said with raised eyebrows.

"Could it be Daniela Suarez-Meade? After all, you are the father."

He nodded. "That would make me very happy. I would love that."

"Now when are we going to tell your mom? I'm actually feeling confident about this right now."

Daniel smiled. "I could call her and see if we could do it over lunch tomorrow. Does that work for you?"

"The sooner the better," she replied. "It's hard to say out loud but I just want to say it, to get it out there."

"We're having a baby."

"That's a scary thought."

Daniel wrapped his arm around Betty's shoulders and kissed her forehead. "We can do it. I have faith in us."

She looked up at him. "Do you really?"

He nodded. "We're adults and we've both been up against some pretty tough shit. I'm very sure that we can handle a baby especially if we have each other."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Daniel, I'm afraid of having a baby."

"I know you are. And I am too. But I also have faith in you and in myself. We can raise this baby. And he or she will be an amazing, beautiful baby."

"We're having lunch with my mom today," Daniel told Betty the next morning when he arrived with his bagel and two cups in his hand. "And I brought you a cup of caffeine-free tea; I figured it would be better for your stomach."

She smiled up at him. "Thank you so much. My stomach is really acting up today; I can't even get any crackers to stay down."

He kissed the top of her head. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

She shook her head. "Hopefully I can get something to stay down later in the day. I have some crackers in my desk."

"Just let me know if you need anything."

"I will. It's weird though. It's like after the first two and a half months, I just got punched in the gut with morning sickness."

He shrugged. "I know virtually nothing about pregnancy so I can't help you there."

"I know. I really need to read up and learn about this. I'm going to a bookstore after work tonight."

"That's a good idea."

"And then I'm going home to pack."

"Do you want some help?"

She shrugged. "Sure, you can organize my books and pots and pans; I'm packing my bedroom by myself."

He smiled. "You're a cute little prude."

"You got your assistant pregnant?" Claire asked her son. "I knew this would happen one day."

"And I'm going to take responsibility for it."

She sighed. "Daniel, this family can't take any more hits. Between Alexis, your father, Wilhelmina, and me, we've been through way too much. We need you to be the good child."

"I know that. I'm dating Betty," he told her, squeezing his assistant's hand. "I'm not just messing around. I'm taking this very seriously and I'm taking responsibility for my child."

His mother nodded and looked at Betty. "You know that people will probably accuse you of being a gold-digger. It happened to me when I married Bradford. And if you announce that you're pregnant, they'll want to rip you to shreds."

"I know," Betty said softly, clinging to Daniel's hand. "And I'm afraid of what they'll do and say."

"But it's my baby," Daniel persisted. "And I'm going to be there for Betty and our baby. Suzuki St. James can say whatever he wants about us; I'm sticking by Betty and our baby."

"I'm impressed and I'll help you two however I can," Claire said. "But they will go after you two and this baby."

"And I'm afraid of that," Betty admitted.

"But we can do this," Daniel told the two women at the table. "And at the end of this there will be a beautiful baby. I'm going to be there for Betty and the baby for all of this. And I'm not just talking about for the pregnancy; I'm in this long-term for the rest of my life."

Betty gasped and clung to Daniel's hand. He squeezed it and smiled at her. Claire smiled at the pair across the table from her. "I think you two have an amazing future together. There's something amazing between you two. And remember; love doesn't happen every day. Don't let something this powerful get away from you."

"Mom, we've only been together for a couple months."

"I know. That's what makes this all the more amazing." She turned to Betty. "So when are you due, dear?"

"April 7," she replied.

Claire smiled. "I'm going to be a grandmother."

"Mom, you already have DJ."

"He's in France. This baby will be much closer to home. I can see him or her much more often and no one will be able to take this baby off to France or Antarctica. It'll be much easier to spoil this baby rotten."

Daniel and Betty both grinned when she mentioned spoiling the baby rotten. "I might actually be looking forward to bringing this baby into the world now," Betty admitted.

Claire laughed. "You realize that this will be a public relations nightmare for _Mode_. If you're going to keep dating, then you should probably find Betty another job within Meade Publications. Otherwise, Daniel keeps looking like the man who can't stop screwing his assistants."

"But she's the best assistant I've ever had. We love working together."

"And he's an amazing boss. We make a great team."

"You could keep her as a writer at _Mode_. We both know that she's an amazing writer and she would be a great asset to the magazine."

"Mom, she already is a great asset to the magazine as my assistant."

"But you could use her as a writer. You know that she wasn't born wanting to be your assistant. She's capable of more and she deserves more. She's put in three years as your assistant now. You can't hold her back in her career just because you want to keep her close to you because you love her and you don't want someone else to steal her away."

Daniel and Betty both just stopped and stared at Claire. "Did you just say that?" Betty asked.

Claire nodded. "I'm sorry. It just slipped out. But however blunt it may but, it is true and we all know it."

"I didn't know it," Betty said, refusing to look at the man who was sitting to her right and still holding her hand tightly. "I didn't know that Daniel supposedly loves me."

Daniel looked at his friend and at his mother. He didn't know what to say to either one of them. He knew he had strong feelings for Betty but he wasn't sure that love was the word for him. He knew that he wanted to be there for Betty and to help her with her baby. "I didn't either," he said softly.

"Okay, I think I said the wrong thing," his mother said looking at the awkwardness that was building between her son and his assistant. "And I'm very, very sorry."

"I need to go," Betty said, picking up her purse and leaving the table. "Daniel, I'll see you back at work."

"Mom, you're paying for lunch," Daniel said as he stood up. "I need to go talk to her."

"And what are you going to tell her? You just admitted that you don't know how you feel about her. Give the poor girl some space."

"Then I need to think. I'm having a baby with her; I have to make this right."

"Daniel, you do love her. It's obvious. Just tell her."

Daniel Meade was watching his assistant from his desk. Betty looked tired and frustrated. It was Friday afternoon and he knew she just wanted to go home and relax. But she was moving that weekend and she couldn't relax. At five o'clock, he went out to her desk. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Let's head downstairs and we can go buy you some books and then go pack up your apartment."

"I like that idea."

"And we'll eat dinner too; I promise. Are you feeling up for dinner?"

"Daniel, it's morning sickness; I was fine at lunch."

"I don't know. Some women are sick all day; I've heard about this before."

Betty smiled as they started walking towards the elevator.

"Daniel, do you love me?" she asked softly once they were outside of Meade Publications and walking towards a nearby bookstore.

"I don't know," he said slowly. "Betty, I'm really confused about what's going on here. The past three or four days have really thrown me through a loop. On Monday morning, I was just another bachelor going to work in New York City. And now I have you and this baby. And then there was the kiss on Tuesday night. I think there really is something between us and it both terrifies me and thrills me. You're my best friend and you've flipped my world upside down in the past three years. And in the past four days, I can't explain what you've done to me. And I don't really know how I feel about you. I know that I feel something for you. And I know that I don't want to hurt you. I'm afraid of how I feel around you and what you make me think and feel. I've never felt this way before. I know that; I'm Daniel Meade and I'm pretty damn sure that I'm falling in love with you."

Betty just stood there and stared at him for a minute. "Daniel, don't say things like that. I just broke up with Jesse last week. I'm not ready to fall in love with someone else, especially not you. You're Daniel Meade and that terrifies me. You could be the best thing that's ever happened to me or you could be the worst thing ever. I don't know. And I can't get hurt anymore. I've been hurt too much. This baby is just one more sign of that. I need space; I need to think."

"So what do you want to do? Do you still want to come live with me or do you want to wait?"

"I want to come live with you. But we can't share a bedroom. We can't do things that couples do. We need to be like brother and sister. I won't let myself get hurt again."

"Betty, I've watched you get hurt quite a bit in the past few years and I don't want to hurt you. I wanted to kill Henry for the way he treated you. You're my best friend and I'm not going to let anyone else hurt you. And I'll do whatever I have to do to protect you even if it's from my own damn self. Now let's go find you some books and then we'll pack up your things so you can move tomorrow. And we'll live like brother and sister as long as we have to, all right?"

Betty nodded and hugged him. "You're really a good friend."

"I try," he replied.

Two hours later, Betty and Daniel walked into her apartment with What to Expect When You're Expecting, Pregnancy for Dummies, and four other books that Betty decided that they needed as well as Chinese take-out. "I'm afraid of being a bad mom," she told Daniel as they settled themselves on her couch with the food.

"You won't be one," he told her digging into his beef with snow peas. "I think you'll be a great mom; after all, you've done a great job with me."

She smacked him playfully and laughed. "I'm not your mother; I'm just your really obnoxious older sister who makes you do whatever you need to do even though she's really about ten years younger than you."

"That made no sense," he replied.

"I know," she said digging into her General Tsao's chicken. "Being pregnant is making me crave spicy things."

"Okay, I have two things to say. One, how does that comment relate to our conversation about your skills as a mother? And two, stay on your side of the couch while you're eating and then go pack up your bedroom," he told her. "We're going to keep this whole thing as clean as a five-year-old thinks a Disney movie is."

She laughed. "You're ridiculous."

"I'm Daniel Meade," he replied with a mischievous smile. "And you know you love it."

"I'm going to eat my food and then go pack like I'm supposed to."

"Thank you," he replied. "I'm glad someone listens to me."

"You're my boss. I have to listen to you."

"So I'm controlling you by fear."

Betty nodded. "That's the basic idea anyway."

He sighed. "This really is a complicated relationship."

A/N: Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. This isn't in the same universe as my _Episodes of a Life _story; this story exists in its own little happy world. I think some similar ideas have been done but I'm trying this with a little bit of a different twist. And I really dearly love my reviewers.

By the end of the day on Sunday, Betty and most of her worldly possessions were moved into Daniel's apartment. And the pregnant woan was completely exhausted. "I'm done for," she told Daniel, collapsing on the couch on Sunday night. "I just want to curl up and die."

He handed her a glass of water and sat down on the couch opposite her. "That would make everything I've done in the past three days worthless."

"I'm just completely drained of energy."

"You could go to bed."

"I'm hungry."

"We could order a pizza."

"I'm too tired to reach for the phone."

Daniel laughed. "I could order the pizza."

"Okay, you order the pizza. I'm going to watch some TV. Where's the remote?"

He handed her the remote and walked away to order the pizza. "What do you want on the pizza?"

"Spaghetti," she replied as she looked over the TV Guide Channel.

"I don't think they can put that on the pizza."

"Okay, then sausage, cheese, sauce, and mushrooms," Betty told him.

"All right, do you want cheesy bread?"

"Sure," she said. "And Sprite, get some Sprite too."

Daniel smiled and walked into the kitchen. A few minutes later, he came back out. "It'll be here in thirty minutes."

"You're amazing," Betty sighed without looking up from _Sleepless in Seattle_.

"Why are we watching this movie?"

"It's on TNT," she replied. "And I like it. It's one of my favorite movies."

"I'd rather watch _Gladiator_."

"I'm tired and pregnant. And I got the remote first. That means I get to pick the movie."

"So when do I get to pick the movie?"

She shrugged. "When I'm not pregnant, I guess."

"So I can pick the movie after the baby is born?"

"I guess so. But while I'm pregnant, you have to bend to my every whim, wish, and need."

Daniel laughed. "So I'm your personal slave for the next six and a half months?"

"Except at work, I get to be your slave at work."

"We'll see how that works out when you're eight months pregnant."

Betty moaned and put her hand on her still-flat stomach. "I'm going to have a baby. In seven and a half months, it's going to be you, a baby, and me. I'm a little nervous about that."

"Betty, I know you're afraid of handling a baby. But we have six and a half months to get ready for the baby; we can do this. We have each other and your dad and my mom. We can make this work. This baby will be an amazing kid."

She smiled. "Why are you more confident about this than I am?"

"Because you need me to be confident," he replied. "You're worried and I'm trying to help you and keep you optimistic. I have faith in you; now I want you to have faith in yourself. This is about the fact that I care about you."

She smiled and shook her head. "You're an amazing man."

"I'm just trying. I just want to be a good friend."

"I think you're doing pretty well."

The next few weeks went by quickly. Betty found herself getting settled in at Daniel's apartment and Daniel found himself loving living with Betty. She was a good cook, she kept the place clean, and she was good company. And he secretly enjoyed watching movies with her. He made plenty of noise over watching Disney movies and chick flicks but if he was honest with himself, he secretly enjoyed it. And he loved indulging her and spoiling her. He loved taking care of her when she wasn't feeling well. He was learning how to cook from her. And he was experiencing all the highs and lows of her pregnancy. He had to deal with morning sickness and sadness over almost interminable hunger. But then there was Betty's elation one day when she was about three months pregnant over the discovery that her abdomen was getting rounder and her belly button was getting smaller. She eagerly showed Daniel. "It's the baby; it's really there," she told him with a smile on her face.

"We're going to have to tell the world someday soon," he told her.

She made a face. "I don't want to tell anyone. I like this being our little secret."

"Betty, babies don't stay little forever and that baby is going to grow. People will be able to tell that you're pregnant and then we're going to have to admit it."

"We'll admit it when I get too big to wear my regular clothes anymore and I have to buy maternity clothes."

"And when will that be?"

"Pretty soon, I would imagine," she told him. "I'd think around the time I hit the four months mark."

"Are you going to find out if it's a boy or a girl?"

She shrugged. "Do you want to know?"

"I don't know. It would make some things easier like decorating the nursery and buying clothes."

She looked up at him with eager eyes. "I really want to know. I've been thinking about it since I found out I was pregnant. I'm not sure how I'd make it to my due date if I didn't know the baby's gender."

"So we'll find out at your four-month appointment." He smiled at her. "Do you have a preference?"

She nodded. "I want a girl; I think you would be an amazing father to a girl. I really want us to have a baby girl and I really want to see you with a daughter."

Daniel smiled. "But if I weren't here, would you still want a girl?"

"It would be easier for me to raise a daughter on my own. But I have you. You're not going anywhere, are you?"

He shook his head. "Never, I'm here until the end."

Over the next month, Daniel watched as Betty's belly grew and yet no one noticed except him. He felt special when he realized that only he could see the little bump under her blouses. He was the only one other than Ignacio and Claire who knew about the little baby growing inside of his assistant's uterus. And when he went home at the end of the day, he was allowed to touch the growing bump and talk to the baby. "I'm jealous of you," he told Betty while they were making dinner one night shortly before her four month appointment.

"Why?" she asked. "I'm always hungry and this morning, I had to use a safety pin to fasten my skirt because I'm too big for the zipper and button to work. I need to go shopping for maternity clothes this weekend. What's there to be jealous of?"

"You get to carry the baby around with you all the time. You get to bond with the baby and have this amazing relationship with it."

Betty smiled at him and ran her fingers through his hair. "Oh Daniel, you'll get to bond with the baby after it's born. And you get to talk to the baby when you want. And on the plus side for you, you don't have to gain weight and outgrow all of your clothes."

He laughed. "I suppose you're right. And I think we need to decide when we're going to tell the world about this baby."

Betty put her hands protectively over her slightly bulging belly and looked up at him. "Soon," she told him. "This morning, Amanda asked me if I'd been eating even more burritos than usual of late."

"Maybe we should remind her that she hasn't always been as skinny as a twig. There was a brief period when she sort of reminded me of a marshmallow."

"I think we can skip that. Monday, I'll start wearing maternity clothes to work and we'll see where things go from there. After all, I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and then we'll know if we're having a boy or a girl."

Daniel smiled. "Do you still want a girl?"

She nodded. "And it's not just for you. I really want a daughter."

"I'll take either one," he said. "I just want a happy, healthy baby."

Betty smiled. "It's been six weeks since Jesse and I broke up. And you know what? I don't miss him anymore."

"That's good."

She nodded. "I'm happier now. And I really like living here. I feel safe here."

"You didn't feel safe in your apartment?"

"I'm a single woman who was living alone in New York City," she said flatly, looking into his blue eyes. "What do you think?"

Daniel looked at his best friend. "But I thought you wanted to live by yourself."

"I wanted to be independent, to be my own person, and in general, I liked living there. But there were times when I was worried about my safety. It's just part of being a woman living alone in a big city."

"I don't like that," he said slowly. "I don't like the idea that you were worried about your safety. Do women feel like that a lot?"

Betty smiled at the side of Daniel Meade that was coming out. This was why she thought he'd be a good father to a daughter; he was very protective of the women he cared about. "It's New York City, Daniel. Women are afraid in every big city. And this isn't the world's safest city."

"Why didn't you ever tell me you were afraid?"

"What would you have done to protect me? I already had about seven locks on my door thanks to my dad."

He shrugged. "I don't know but I would have protected you. I want you to be safe."

"Well, I live with you now. I think you can protect me here."

"I need to," he said. "I've already watched you get hurt enough. I can't let you get hurt ever again."

"Life is pain, Daniel," she replied, stroking his shoulder. "Anyone who says otherwise is selling something."

He wrapped his arms around her and looked into her eyes. "I've watched Henry, Gio, and Jesse each try to play with you. I'm done with that. This time I get to protect you."

"You suck at fighting."

"I'm not going to punch anyone. I'm just going to call you my girlfriend and give anyone who tries to touch you or the baby the evilest evil eye ever."

Betty leaned her head against his chest and smiled. "You're cute."

He sighed. "I'm not cute. I'm vicious and protective. Why do you think I spend an hour a day working out? Do you think I do it just so my roommate can call me cute?"

She laughed. "I think you do it so you feel all manly and sexy."

"You think I'm sexy?"

"Maybe," she replied with a smile.

He pulled back a little bit and looked at her. "Are you flirting with me, Miss Suarez? I think that's against the rules of our current arrangement."

"Well, then I'll go to my room as punishment. I'm not quite ready to change our arrangement."

He smiled and released her from his arms. "Aren't you going to eat dinner?"

"No, I'm sending myself to my room without dinner."

"That's not good for you or the baby," he replied. "You have to eat. It's for the baby even if it's not for you. You can send yourself to your room after dinner."

Betty smiled. "You take good care of me."

"I have to," Daniel told her. "I have to be a good dad to our baby."

"Our baby," she repeated with a bright smile. "We're having a baby."

He nodded. "Now finish up the spaghetti. You're the one who wanted it so badly."

"I didn't want it badly," she protested.

He laughed. "I believe you walked into my office around three or three-thirty and told me that you were craving spaghetti with lots of garlic salt."

She blushed and stirred the pot of spaghetti sauce she was making. "Can you hand me the garlic salt? I think the sauce needs more."

"Let me taste it," he replied. "I'm not letting you put so much garlic in it and then I can't even eat it. If you want more garlic, add it after you serve yourself."

She smiled at him. "Fine, have it your way."

"I just want to be able to eat my dinner."

"It's almost ready."

"Good," he replied. "I'm getting hungry."

"You want to test the sauce?" she asked offering him the spoon.

He took it and tried the sauce before smiling. "It's really good. It has just the right amount of garlic."

Betty laughed and took the spoon back. "I'll put more on mine later."

"You can do whatever you want. Just don't breathe on any of your vampire friends with all that garlic on your breath."

"I don't know any vampires."

"That's sad. I hear they're nice people."

"I hear differently. And I don't think I want any vampires near me while I'm pregnant."

"Good point," he said taking plates and glasses out of the cupboard. "They might want to eat the baby or something."

"No one is eating my baby or sacrificing it to some gods."

Daniel smiled. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you or your baby."

Monday morning, Betty and Daniel went to work. "I don't want to do this," she told him in the elevator. "I don't want to tell people that I'm pregnant."

He took her hand and squeezed it. "It'll be okay. I'm here with you; I'll be with you the whole day. I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm afraid of Marc and Amanda."

Daniel kissed Betty's forehead. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

And then the elevator doors opened. "Oh my god," Amanda gasped. "Daniel Meade is kissing Triple Chins."

Daniel tightened his grip on Betty's hand. "Ignore her and come to my office with me. Just pretend she's not there," he whispered in her ear.

"What are you two doing?" the receptionist asked they walked by her desk. "Are you dating her, Daniel? Do you have some kind of fat girl fetish?"

"Amanda, go back to pretending to do your job," Daniel replied. "Just let me walk to my office with my girlfriend in peace."

"Your girlfriend?" she repeated. "Why are you dating her? Don't you know that she's ugly?"

"Go shove it," he replied.

"Oh my god is she pregnant?" she asked as Betty put an unsteady hand on her swollen belly. "Did you guys have a drunken one-night stand? How drunk were you?"

"I wasn't drunk at all. Now would you please leave us alone?"

"She's pregnant? Daniel, you got her pregnant?" Amanda started following Betty and Daniel to his office. "Are you two serious or did Triple Chins just eat way too many burritos and you're trying to make her feel better about it?"

Her boss stopped and glared at her. "First of all, her name is Betty. Secondly, she really is my girlfriend and she really is pregnant with my baby. And thirdly, I don't know why I was ever interested in you. You disgust me."

"Marc, you've got to hear this," Amanda called as she ran off.

"Are you all right?" Daniel asked Betty.

She shrugged. "That's not how I thought it would go."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean for it to be like that. She just ambushed me."

"It's not your fault," she replied softly. "She's just like that."

"You're not ugly; she's wrong about you. I think you're amazing."

Betty smiled at that and squeezed his hand. "I'm nervous and self-conscious," she told him. "And now I'm pregnant and hormonal."

"And absolutely amazing," he told her. "Now you're not my assistant anymore so you need to go off to your own desk."

"But I don't want to leave you."

He hugged her. "I'll see you at lunch," he told her. "And then I'll see you at home. But right now you need to go be a staff writer and not the editor's amazingly beautiful girlfriend. And if you need me, just send me a text message and I'll come rescue you."

Betty smiled up at him. "I'm nervous."

"You'll be fine. You told your sister and she wasn't mad; she was happy for you. Christina will be happy for you. You're having a baby, my baby."

"You're really too amazing for me."

"No I'm not. Now go talk to Christina and then go to your desk; I'll see you at lunch."

"You're having Daniel, Daniel Meade's baby? How did this happen?" Christina McKinney asked.

"In the usual way," Betty replied calmly.

"How long have you two been dating? It's only been a couple months, hasn't it?"

"We've been together for about five months."

"And you're four months along? Well, he is Daniel Meade; I guess that makes sense."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Everyone always assumes things about us sexually just because he's Daniel Meade."

"Have you met him recently? He's New York's sexiest bachelor. And he's slept with most of the Eastern seaboard. And you can get him to settle down and have a baby; that's impressive."

"Christina, he's a good guy. I know his reputation but he's a great guy and he'll be a good father."

"What happened with that Jesse guy?"

"It went bottoms up a while back and then Daniel and I got together shortly thereafter."

Christina shook her head. "I just can't believe you're having Daniel Meade's baby. I'm not sure I ever saw him as the type to settle down and have a family."

Betty shrugged. "I think he always wanted it; he just never knew it."

"You tamed him. I didn't know that it was possible."

"We'll see about that."

"You're having Daniel's baby," Marc St. James announced walking up to Betty's desk later that morning shortly before lunch.

She nodded without looking up from her computer. "That's what they tell me."

"How did that happen?"

"Marc, you're an adult; you know where babies come from. When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much, their love creates a baby even if it's not exactly what they were planning at the time. Or if that fails, you can always steal sperm from your dead fiancé's corpse and artificially inseminate one of your eggs and get some poor employee to be your surrogate."

"Stop making fun of Wili," he sighed. "But when did you start dating Daniel?"

"Before I got pregnant," she replied. "Now go away; I'm writing an article."

"You should write an article about how to land your boss."

"Maybe I'll write an article about how miserable it is having morning sickness."

"That's gross," he said.

"It's part of pregnancy," she told him.

"Yeah but I don't want to hear about you barfing all over Daniel's Armani shoes."

"Relax; I don't throw up on designer labels. I have better taste than you think I do."

"You got new clothes," he remarked as he looked at her.

She smiled. "That's another part of being pregnant."

"I actually like that top," he said. "It's pretty sexy."

Betty smiled. "Thanks, Daniel picked it out."

"Are you serious? He must have great taste."

"I'm the co-editor in chief of _Mode_. Why wouldn't I have great taste in women's clothes?" Daniel said coming up behind Marc.

"Oh, you're here."

"I am. Are you ready for lunch, Betty?"

She nodded. "I'm starved. Sorry, Marc; I have to get going."

"I'll see you later," he replied. "And congratulations on the baby; that's great news."

"Thanks," Betty replied with a smile as she followed Daniel out to the lobby.

"If I'm allowed to say so, that top is sexy," he told her while they waited for the elevator.

She was wearing a dark blue blouse that showed a hint of cleavage and then had an empire waistline to give her growing belly more room. "Thanks," she said, blushing. "You are allowed to say things like that."

"Good," he said, wrapping his arm around his waist. "I like it."

Once they were inside the elevator, she looked at him. "I'm not quite ready to move forward in our relationship but I'm getting there."

"I can be patient," he told her. "I'm willing to wait for you. I care about you and I'm going to wait for you. I'm not going to hurt you or mess with you."

Betty smiled at him. "When did you grow up, Daniel Meade?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"I like it," she told him. "It's refreshing and comforting."

"I'm glad."

"Everyone seems surprised by this baby."

"They think I can't grow up," he replied. "Alexis told me that she wasn't sure I could be responsible for another person's life."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to be responsible for another person's life. But it's coming."

"And I have faith in us."

Betty smiled and Daniel did as well. He wasn't about to tell her how much he liked her smile. He knew how she'd feel about that comment in the context of their complicated relationship. And he knew that the best thing to do was to respect boundaries. When had he grown up? Betty had changed him and he wasn't sure when or how. But this bright ball of perkiness had turned his world upside down and it was wonderful. And now he was going to be a father because of Betty. Life wasn't going how he had expected but he liked it. He was looking forward to being a father.

Wednesday morning, Betty and Daniel went to her doctor's appointment. "I just want to know that the baby is healthy," he told her as they sat in the waiting room. "I don't care if it's a boy or a girl."

"I want a girl," Betty said squeezing his hand. "I really want a girl. I'll be happy with a son but I really want a daughter."

"We'll take what we get," he told her.

"I know," she replied. "But I want a girl."

Daniel tentatively patted her belly and smiled as a nurse appeared and called out, "Betty Suarez."

"That's us," Betty said as she stood up.

"Then let's go."

"She told us that she's about ninety-eight percent sure we're having a girl," Daniel told Ignacio at dinner on Friday night.

"That's wonderful news," he replied.

"Betty's thrilled about it," Daniel added, smiling at his beaming friend.

"I really want a girl," she told her father. "I'm really looking forward to having a daughter. And I think that Daniel will be a great dad to a daughter."

"I'd take a son or a daughter, but I'm glad I'll have a daughter to spoil rotten."

"And I'll have a granddaughter to spoil rotten."

Betty smiled. "In five months, the little angel will be here."

"And we can spoil her," Ignacio replied.

A/N: Please review! I hope you like it!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. But I love my reviewers. Please come them coming. Oh and I just thought I'd throw this out there; I'm pretty sure that Marc and Amanda really do like Betty despite what they say and do. After all they did miss her when she was gone.

* * *

Thanksgiving was Daniel and Betty's first hurdle. Claire wanted to go to France for a week to see Alexis and DJ and she wanted Daniel to come with her. Betty didn't want to go anyway except home to Jackson Heights and spend the holiday with her family. "I don't want to go away for a week and come back to find out that something has happened to you or the baby," Daniel told his best friend.

"Go to France," she told him. "My dad and Hilda can take care of me. You can call me daily if you want. But go see your sister and your nephew; you need the vacation and the time with them. Go be the cool American uncle. I'll enjoy a traditional American Thanksgiving a la casa Suarez."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "You really think you'll be fine?"

"If anything goes wrong, we'll call you and let you know. Go to France and enjoy every moment of it. And bring me back something kitschy and get the baby something amazing."

He smiled. "I will. And if anything goes wrong with the baby, you have to call me and let me know right away."

"Yes, Papa Bear," Betty replied running her fingers through Daniel's hair. "You need a haircut."

"Before or after France?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't care. Just do it soon. Your hair is getting too shaggy."

Thanksgiving went by smoothly for both Daniel and Betty. He had a great time with his nephew. And he didn't fight with Alexis very much. His mother stayed sober the whole time. And Alexis and Claire only fought three times during the whole visit. All in all, it was a very successful Meade family event. Betty spent Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with her family. And it was wonderful. Justin and Hilda went out to take advantage of the early morning shopping bargains on Friday. Ignacio cooked amazing meals every day and even managed to teach his younger daughter a few more things in the kitchen. "And I'm pretty sure I gained twenty pounds in three days," Betty told Daniel when he got home Sunday night.

"You don't look like you've gained twenty pounds," he told her.

"You're just saying that."

He shook his head. "You're still your cute, little, adorable self. I can tell you're pregnant but you're cute."

"Thanks," she said. "How was France?"

"DJ is doing wonderfully and I think living with his grandparents really is the best decision. It keeps him away from the dysfunctional Meades of New York. He only has to deal with his father who is now a woman but lives a few hours away and isn't a part of his daily life."

"That sounds like a good life for a thirteen year old boy."

"I think it is. But how is our baby?"

She smiled. "She's growing and developing likes and dislikes about food. She doesn't like hamburgers or fish. I get heartburn from both of those."

"That must come from Jesse," Daniel teased.

Betty laughed. "It's not from me. I love a big juicy burger."

"I know. Doesn't she know that Daddy's specialty is burgers?"

She smiled upon hearing him call himself "Daddy" before saying, "I don't think so. And I don't think she cares about you. She's a spoiled rotten little baby living off whatever I give her."

"We'll have to cure her of that habit after she's born."

"That will be your job. I'm going to have enough on my hands with breast-feeding and diaper changes. You can discipline her."

Daniel smiled. "I can discipline a kid. I'm actually pretty good at it."

"I know; I remember when you used to discipline DJ. You took a while to get used to it but once you get comfortable with it, you were good at it. You're going to be an amazing dad to this baby."

"And you'll be an amazing mom."

* * *

"You know, Daniel; I'm actually starting to enjoy being pregnant," Betty told Daniel one day about a week before Christmas. She was about five and a half months pregnant at that point and sitting on the couch wearing pajamas and fluffy slippers while watching _Arsenic and Old Lace_.

Daniel was sitting next to Betty on the couch and also wearing his pajamas. He had a pair of black-framed reading glasses perched on his nose and he was looking over the _Mode_ book for the June issue. He smiled at her. "You just like it because I spoil you rotten all the time and give you whatever you want."

"Maybe," she said. "But I also like the feeling of having a baby in my belly. It's like having a little friend who is with me all the time. Sometimes I just talk to her and tell her what I'm thinking or what's going on in my life. I try out various names on her and see what I think of them. Yesterday, her name was Daniela but today it's Susanna."

"How does the little lady like these names?"

"I don't think she liked Susanna very much," Betty replied leaning against Daniel's chest. "She was kicking me ridiculously all day."

"She never kicks me," Daniel said as he put his hand on Betty's belly.

"She respects her daddy," the mother-to-be replied. "She only kicks her mommy, never daddy."

He laughed and kissed her forehead. "Well, I think she kicks you because she loves you. And I want to know if our baby loves me."

"Well, I love you even if little Miss Daniela-Susanna doesn't love you," Betty said.

"You love me?" he asked.

"Well, sure, of course I love you," she told him. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I love you too," he said.

"Does this mean that we're together now?" she asked looking up into his bright blue eyes.

He cocked his head and shrugged. "I guess so."

"Okay," she replied. "Now what do we do?"

"Well, I could kiss you."

Betty looked up at Daniel and smiled. "That might be nice."

He put his hand behind her neck and pulled her closer to him. And he finally kissed her the way that he'd wanted to do so for the past three months ever since the first kiss. When they pulled apart, Betty looked at Daniel and he smiled. "I've wanted to do that for a long time," he told her.

"And how was it?"

He grinned. "It was amazing. We really should do that more often."

"Are we a couple now?" she asked.

He nodded. "I think we are. Well, we are for real now. We were already an official couple; now it's just real, if that makes any sense at all."

"It doesn't make any sense but I'm glad we're together," she replied with a warm smile as she leaned against his chest. "I think you're probably one of the more important people in my life."

"I know you're one of the most important people in my life," he replied wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I'm not quite sure what I would do without you."

"You'd make it."

"Yeah but I'm happier having you in my life."

Betty smiled. "That's my goal. I just want to help you be a better person. I just want to be a better person."

He kissed her nose. "This is going to sound horribly cheesy but you make me a better person. Having you and this baby in my life makes me want to do something more than just be a hopeless playboy or another womanizing Meade patriarch. I want to prove that I'm worthy of you and little Daniela-Susanna-Gabriella."

"Gabriella?" she asked. "I've never used that one."

"I just thought it was pretty. It's a beautiful name and it kind of fits in with the Daniela theme; it's old-fashioned and has a Hispanic sound to it. And you don't have to name your daughter after me. Just give her the Meade last name and I'll be satisfied."

Betty smiled. "I like the name Gabriella. It's very pretty. We should put it on the list."

"We have a list?"

"No, but if you get me a piece of paper, I'll make one."

"Why can't you get one?"

"Because I'm tired," she replied.

"Your laptop is sitting right in front of us."

"You're lazy, Daniel Meade."

"Well, so are you, Betty Suarez."

"You have all your work things in your lap right now; you've got to have pen and paper in that pile on your lap."

"And your laptop is right in front of us."

She sighed and tossed her hair. "Fine, I'll be the bigger person here. After all, I have the bigger belly."

As Betty grabbed her laptop, Daniel shook his head. "I still weigh more than you do. And I'm pretty sure I always will."

She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "But proportionately, my belly is bigger than yours."

"Honey, I have a carefully sculpted six-pack. It's pretty much a flat stomach."

"I don't think I've ever had one of those," she said patting her round belly. "And I'm certainly not going to have one again for a while."

He shook his head and stroked her belly. "You really are a cute pregnant woman and we both know this belly is just the baby. You're pregnant, not fat."

She shook her head. "I know but sometimes I feel like people are judging me when I eat and stuff like that."

"I don't judge you. I know you're pregnant. So stop being so self-conscious. I think you're gorgeous and that's all that should matter to you."

"If you say so," she reluctantly agreed but she smiled as he started stroking her belly.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" he asked, changing the subject suddenly.

"Going to my dad's house," she replied. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure. My mom is going to France to see Alexis."

"You should go with her."

"But I don't want to leave you alone."

"Daniel, I'm a big girl. I'll be with Papi, Hilda, and Justin. And I'll have the baby. I'll be fine."

"But I want to spend Christmas with you and the baby."

She looked up at him as he continued, "We each spent Thanksgiving with our own families; I went to France and saw Alexis and DJ then. I spent a week with them. Now I want to spend some time with my daughter and her mother."

Betty smiled. "If you want to, I'm sure my dad would be glad to have you."

"I need to do this. I need to be a better father than Bradford. And I'm not sure how much Meade family bonding I can handle in one year. I'd rather spend time with my girlfriend and our baby."

"Our baby," she repeated. "I'm your girlfriend?"

He nodded. "If you want to be my girlfriend, then you've got it."

She grinned. "You're an amazing man."

"Well, you're a better woman and I don't deserve you or this baby."

"I think you just got really lucky. And I think I got lucky with you. You're going to be an amazing dad to this baby."

He smiled and pulled her closer to him. "I'm really looking forward to having this baby. It's going to be great."

* * *

One morning shortly after that evening, Daniel told Betty that he would be late for work because he had a doctor's appointment. "What?" she asked. "When did this happen?"

"I scheduled it about a week ago," he replied. "It's nothing big. I just have a quick check-up. I'll be in to work right afterwards. I promise you that I'll be there by lunch; I should be there by ten or ten-thirty. We can have lunch together. I just want to go in for a quick check-up."

She looked up at him with concerned eyes. "Are you sure that you're fine?"

He nodded. "I just haven't been to the doctor in the while and I figure I should take care of myself. I'm going to walk my daughter down the aisle at her wedding."

Betty kissed her boyfriend's cheek. "You're amazing."

"And I'm going to live to be a grandpa. I plan on being an amazing grandfather."

"First you have to become a father."

He put his hand on her belly and smiled. "I'm working on that one now. Now I need to get to my appointment and you need to get to work. I'll see you at lunch."

He kissed her cheek and they walked out to the elevator together.

* * *

At twelve o'clock, Daniel looked up to see his girlfriend standing in the doorway to his office. "Are you ready for lunch?" she asked.

He nodded before clicking "send" on his email to his mother and sister. Then he stood up and grabbed his suit jacket and a folder off his desk. "Let's go. I need to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" she asked him as they walked to the elevator.

"Everything is fine, Betty."

"Are you going to dump me?" she asked as they stepped inside of the elevator.

As the door closed, he laughed. "No, I just have some news for you from my appointment. And I'll give it to you when we get to the restaurant. I don't want you to worry about it."

* * *

"So now will you tell me what all of this is about?" Betty asked after the hostess seated them at the restaurant.

He smiled. "I went to see my dad's cardiologist this morning. Ever since I found out that you were pregnant, I've wondered about my heart; I've wondered if his heart condition was genetic and what my chances of having it are."

"And what did he say?"

"I have the same heart condition that my dad has. And Alexis probably has it too."

"But you seem fine."

He smiled and squeezed her hand as he watched worry flood her eyes. "Betty, I am fine right now. But I need to keep working out and make an effort to eat healthier and watch my blood pressure and cholesterol."

"You're in your thirties; you're young and healthy."

"And we thought my dad was fine. But now we know," he told her. "So I can take better care of myself. Dr. Barnes gave me a couple of prescriptions and some dietary restrictions. And I'm going to do everything I can to take care of myself. I'm going to be around for you, for our daughter, and for any other children we might have in the future every step of the way."

She bit her lower lip. "You're doing this for the baby."

He nodded. "I'm doing this for the people I love. I told you this morning; I'm going to walk Gabriella-Daniela-Marie down the aisle when she gets married."

Betty squeezed his hand and smiled. "You really are more than I could have ever hoped for. You're a dream come true."

He laughed. "I'm just trying to do the best thing for you and our daughter."

"You really are going to be an amazing dad."

"You'll be a better mother."

She laughed. "We'll see how that works out once Gabriella-Rosa-Daniela is actually here."

"So that's her name today?"

Betty nodded. "I really like Gabriella. I think it might suit her personality very well. But I'm not sure about a middle name yet."

"Well, we do have a few more months to figure everything out. But you have to admit that Gabriella Suarez-Meade has as good ring to it."

"I like it a lot."

"And we could call her Gabby or Ella," he mentioned.

She smiled. "Somehow I worry about calling a baby Gabby. It seems like you're just asking for the world's most talkative child."

"Or maybe it will be an ironic nickname."

"Daniel, she's going to be related to Hilda. It's impossible for her to have a quiet personality. We Suarez women are not known for our silent submission."

"I've noticed," her boyfriend teased with a smile. "But sometimes I find that kind of sexy. Life is better when you have someone to give you a different perspective on things."

She laughed. "We've had our fair share of arguments over the past few years, haven't we?"

"We have. But it's been good for us."

"I still hate it when you're sarcastic."

Daniel grinned. "I know. But sometimes you really need me to remind you that I'm smart."

She laughed and shook her hair. "Oh I know that you're smart. I just don't always like your ideas."

He made a face and stuck out his lower lip. "But I'm your boyfriend and before that I was your boss. And now I'm Gabriella-Rosa-Daniela's father."

"But you make fun of me."

"There are definitely times when you deserve it. I kind of knew that Jesse was a jerk. But I've learned that I have to let you make your own mistakes. However hard it might be for me to stand back and watch as jerks break my girl's heart, I had to do it sometimes. But I'm not doing it anymore. I'm not going to stand back and watch Henry or Gio or Jesse or Walter rip your heart out anymore. I care about you and I'm sick of cleaning up after them."

"I remember when you told me that I was stupid for dating Henry when I knew that he was leaving at the end."

"I shouldn't have said that."

"But you were right," she said. "I got hurt in the end."

He nodded. "I know. But it still wasn't my place to tell you how to live your life. Look at my past. I'm no one to talk."

"But you were always there for me. And you cared about me."

Daniel smiled. "You're my best friend; I'm not sure where I would be without you."

Betty looked at him and her mind flashed back to other moments with this man over the past four years.

"_You're better than any model."_ That had been when they'd been standing on the Brooklyn Bridge staring out at the world.

"_You're beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."_ She'd been so interested in Jesse back then and she hadn't seen what had been right in front of her. Daniel had been holding her in his arms while she sobbed over finding Jesse kissing Amanda. If only she'd looked up and seen how much he loved her.

* * *

Christmas Eve, Betty and Daniel went over to her dad's house to help decorate the tree and get ready for the next day. They were planning on spending the night so they could open presents with the rest of the Suarez family the next morning. "My dad is probably going to let us sleep together in my old room," Betty told Daniel as they got ready to over to her dad's house.

"We haven't done that yet."

She put his hands on her belly and smiled. "Then where did Gabriella-Maria-Isabella come from?"

He nodded. "Okay, we can share the bed. But you have to share the covers."

"I'm keeping the _Little Mermaid_ comforter all to myself. You just make fun of it."

Daniel smiled. "You're twenty-five years old. Why are you still sleeping under Ariel and Sebastian?"

She slugged him. "I'm pregnant. You can criticize me after I give birth to Gabriella-Maria-Isabella."

"I have to wait three and a half more months to criticize you? That's boring, Betty."

"But I'm your crazy hormonal girlfriend."

He kissed her cheek. "And I love you. I'll take the craziness and the hormonal insanity. I'll take the tears with the laughter."

"You're too good for me," she replied.

"You're only saying that. We both know that you're too good for me."

"Daniel Meade, how many single men do you know who would offer to help a friend out and take all paternal responsibility for that women's child? You were New York's most eligible bachelor and then you start dating Ugly Betty and claiming to be the father of her own unborn child. You give up your life for Ugly Betty."

Daniel sighed. "Please stop calling yourself that. I think you're beautiful."

"But why did you do it? Why are you offering to be the baby's father? And why do you think I'm beautiful?"

He took her hands in his and squeezed them emphatically. "I care about you. I love you. And I care about your baby. My one and only motive here is my love for you and for Gabriella-Maria-Isabella. And I want you to believe me; I need you to believe me."

She kissed both of his hands. "I do, Daniel. I do believe you. But I'm so used to the idea that I'm ugly."

"You're beautiful. I don't know how to prove that to you but I think you're absolutely beautiful. You're a beautiful pregnant woman, even more beautiful now than you were before."

* * *

Christmas at la Casa Suarez was wonderful for all involved parties. Justin received new tap shoes, several new musicals on DVD, and clothes. Hilda had things for her salon as well as clothes and jewelry. Ignacio had mostly new cooking things. And Betty and Daniel had things for their baby as well as new maternity clothes for Betty. "It's more fun to shop for the baby than to figure out what to get you two," Hilda told her sister. "But Justin thinks it is fun to buy you cute maternity clothes."

"I can finally change your wardrobe," he said. "It might only be for a few months, but it's still fun. And when your baby is born, I'm going to make sure she's the most fashionable baby ever."

Betty smiled. "Don't start bedazzling onesies for her just yet. I'm not quite sure I need my daughter decked out in sequins an hour after birth. In fact, I'm positive that I want to keep her dressed simply. And her father is the Editor in Chief of _Mode_. This baby will be very well-dressed."

"We already have gifts pouring in from various designers and family connections," Daniel said. "And I'm pretty sure the _Mode_ staff plans on keeping the baby's wardrobe well-stocked."

"But I like bedazzling things," Justin protested. "It makes it more glamorous."

"You want glamorous?" his aunt asked. "Alexis sent us a diamond-encrusted rattle when she found out that I was pregnant."

"What's a baby going to do with a diamond-encrusted rattle?" Ignacio asked.

"It's a result of my family having too much money to throw around," Daniel replied.

"We're never going to let her actually use it," Betty said. "We'll probably just use it as a decoration."

"Or put it in a bank safe someplace," her boyfriend replied. "Or we could sell it. She'll never actually need it and it's kind of stupid."

"But it was a present from her aunt Alexis."

Daniel sighed. "I don't care. We're not keeping that thing. Our daughter does not need it."

Betty smiled. Daniel really was changing.

* * *

A/N: Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I still don't own _Ugly Betty_. If I did, Betty and Daniel would definitely be together by now.

* * *

Daniel had to go to Paris in January for Parisian Fashion Week and to see DJ. He was nervous about leaving Betty alone and he made her promise to call him if anything seemed like it might go wrong. "What could go wrong?" she asked him as she sat on his bed helping him pack.

He looked at her. "You could go into preterm labor. You could get sick and it might be dangerous for the baby. I don't know what might happen. I hope everything is absolutely fine. But I just want to take every necessary precaution."

"Hilda is going to stay with me. If anything goes wrong, we'll call you."

He nodded. "I just care about you. I want you and the baby to be safe. I love my girls."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Now you need to take good care of yourself too. Make sure you take your medication every day. I'm not going to let my boyfriend have a heart attack in France when I can't be there with him."

"Then come with me."

"I can't, Daniel; we've discussed this before. I have an article due in three days, a doctor's appointment on Thursday, and I don't want to travel across the Atlantic while I'm pregnant if I don't have to."

"I really don't want to miss this doctor's appointment."

"I know," she said. "But I'll call you when I get out of it and let you know how Gabriella-Maria-Rosa and I are doing."

"I'll take the call even if I'm in the middle of an Armani show."

Betty laughed. "Don't let Giorgio see what you're doing."

"I'm sure he'll understand if I tell him that my gorgeous girlfriend is pregnant and I'm worried about her."

She leaned against his chest. "Just don't piss any designers off just because you're worried about the baby and me."

"Darling, you and Gabriella-Maria-Rosa are far more important to me than what Donatella thinks of me."

"Daniel, you're going to be a good father to this baby."

He sat down next to her and unbuttoned her blouse to reveal her belly. She smiled as his fingers began massaging her belly. "All right, Miss Gabriella-Rosa-Beatriz, listen to Daddy for a minute now. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to Paris to watch a bunch of anorexic women parade around in overpriced clothes. But I'm also going to see your cousin, DJ; he's a good kid and he's looking forward to meeting you this summer. So I'm not going to be here with you and Mommy for about a week. So I need you to listen to your mommy and be good for her until I get back. Don't keep her up late at night or make her sick. And don't kick her bladder too much. Just be a good little girl and I'll reward you when I get home. Do you understand?"

Betty smiled and ran her hand through Daniel's hair as he kissed her belly. "I think she's got it."

Her boyfriend kissed her belly again and smiled as he felt a gentle fluttering. "She knows who Daddy is."

"He's the best looking man in town."

"Now you get a kiss for that one," Daniel teased before kissing his girlfriend. "Gabriella-Rosa-Beatriz, your mommy is a good girl too."

"So we can't name her after you, but you're going to name her after me?" Betty asked her boyfriend.

He kissed her again and then kissed her smooth, round belly again. "Don't worry about it, pretty lady," he told her, resting his head on her belly and breasts. "We'll figure it out when I get back from Paris."

"We're not naming her Gabriella Rosa Beatriz. Gabriella Rosa is fine, but we're keeping Beatriz out of it. My parents named their daughters Hilda and Beatriz; those aren't the most modern and beautiful names."

"I think you're gorgeous," he said looking up at her.

"I think you're full of it."

"Will you sleep in my bed tonight?" he asked.

She looked at him. "Why?"

"I'm going to miss you while I'm gone. And this way I get to spend more time with you."

Betty nodded and stroked his head again. "I'll stay with you. I'm going to miss you while you're gone."

"And I'm going to miss you too."

* * *

"I need to change myself," Betty told Christina the Monday after Daniel left.

"Why?"

"I'm getting my braces removed this week while Daniel is gone. And I want to improve everything else as a surprise for him."

Christina looked at her friend. "You know he loves you the way you are."

"Yes but it's time for a change. I'm dating Daniel Meade; I'm having his baby. I want to get contacts and a better haircut. And I want a better wardrobe. I want him to be proud of me."

"He is proud of you; he loves you. Haven't you seen the way he looks at you?"

She smiled. "I know. But I want to look better, for me and for the baby and for Daniel."

"I think I can help you."

"And we need to do all of it before he gets back from Paris. I want it to be a surprise for him."

"All right, I'll do whatever I can to help you."

* * *

"I'm a two-hundred pound cow," Betty told Daniel when she called him after her doctor's appointment on Thursday.

"I don't believe that," he replied.

"I feel like a whale," she said. "Dr. Cunningham said I weigh 160 pounds."

"That's not the same as two hundred pounds. And you're not a cow or a whale. You're my beautiful Betty."

She sighed. "Daniel, I feel like all I ever do is eat."

"You're pregnant," he replied. "And I love you. You're not fat. You're absolutely beautiful."

"I'm sitting in your bed eating Ben and Jerry's out of the carton."

"If you spill it, you'd better wash the sheets," he told her firmly. "You know that stuff has been removed from my diet."

"That's why I don't eat it when you're home. It's a special treat for the week."

"So how did your appointment go?"

"I weigh 160 pounds."

"I know; you told me. What else happened?"

"Gabriella-Rosa-Maria is healthy. And she's growing like she should be. But it looks like she's going to be a big baby."

Daniel smiled. It was almost midnight in Paris and he was sitting in bed while everyone else from _Mode_ was out at a party. He was more interested in the health of his daughter. "My mom claims that I was a ten-pounder."

Betty laughed. "It was probably all your big head."

"Hey now, Miss Suarez; don't be knocking my head. I'm a handsome, intelligent man."

"That's the big head I was talking about."

It was Daniel's turn to laugh. "Thanks, sweetie; I'm glad to know how you really feel. I miss you and the munchkin."

"I miss you too, Daniel. I can't wait until you get home."

"It's just two more days, Betty," he said. "I'll be home Saturday night."

"I know, but I love you and I can't wait to see you."

"I really miss you too, and I'm really looking forward to coming home."

Betty smiled and held the phone closer. "I miss having you touch my belly and talk to Gabriella-Rosa-Maria."

"I miss doing that. I really miss both you and Gabriella-Rosa-Maria. And I'll be home in two days. And I'll be expecting you to sleep in my bed again; I miss you too much to let you go far away."

"Daniel, my room is down the hall; it's not like it's in Africa."

"I don't care you. I need you. I love you and I miss you."

Betty ran her fingers through her shorter hair and smiled. "I can't wait until you get home. Do you want me to meet you at the airport still?"

"Yes, talk to my mom arranging for Martin to take you to the airport and take us back the apartment. She'll take care of everything; she already told me that she would do it."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you. And I think Gabriella-Rosa-Maria is missing you too. She isn't kicking me as much as she does when you're home."

"Tell our little angel that Daddy will be home in two days."

"I will," Betty said with a smile. "I love you, Daniel."

"I love you too," he replied. "And I'll see you soon."

* * *

Daniel Meade had been awake for about twenty hours when he walked out of international baggage claim at JFK. He saw a short woman with long dark brown hair wearing a puffy blue jacket and he grinned. "Betty!" he called, walking towards her.

"Yes?" another woman who was closer to him said as she turned around.

He looked at this woman who had come up next to him. She wasn't wearing glasses or braces. She was small but very pregnant. She had bangs but her hair hung a little past her shoulders and was carefully styled and straightened. And she was wearing a gray wool pea coat. But she was decidedly Betty Suarez. "Betty?" he gasped. "What did you do to yourself?"

Her face fell. "You don't like it?"

"Why did you do this? Why did you change yourself?"

"I did it for you!" she said. "I thought you would like it. I was sick of people laughing at me and calling me Ugly Betty. So I did this. I thought you deserved a girlfriend who was actually beautiful and not just on the inside. You're Daniel Meade; I thought you deserved a girlfriend who actually looked like she belonged with Daniel Meade."

"The old Betty belonged with Daniel Meade. He was completely fine with her."

"Well I got my braces off and I decided to get rid of my glasses and get a haircut. It's nothing major; I'm still the same Betty. I just wanted to be someone of whom you could be proud."

"I was proud of you before. You didn't have to change anything."

She turned around and walked away from him. He sighed and grabbed his suitcase and followed her. He found her standing by his black town car. "Betty," he said reaching out for her arm.

She shook her head. "Forget it, Daniel. I'm just fat Betty from Queens."

He put his suitcase in the trunk and sighed. "You're not fat; you're beautiful. I've always thought that you were beautiful."

"Daniel, you can stop lying to me. I know you hate all the changes."

"Get in the car. We're going home and we're going to talk about this."

"Fine," she sighed getting into the car.

He followed her into the car and shut the door. "Martin, take us to my place please."

"As you like, sir," the driver replied.

"Betty Suarez, you are beautiful."

"I'm fat and you hate the changes," she said. Her arms were crossed firmly across her chest and her face was set in an angry pout.

"You're not fat," he said. "We've discussed this a million times. You're pregnant and I think that's beautiful. There's nothing sexier than looking at a woman and knowing that she's pregnant with your child."

"Well, this isn't really your baby. We're just pretending."

He mentally counted to fifty and hit his own leg. "Genetically, she isn't my baby," he said slowly. "But I'm the realest father that baby will ever have. I love her. And God help me, I love you. Beatriz Suarez, I love you and I love your baby. I want to be her father. I want to be involved in both of your lives but only if you want me around. And I think you're beautiful, makeover or no makeover. But if this is what you want, then I'm happy with it."

She fingered the ends of her hair. "I like it. It makes me feel pretty."

"You're more than pretty; you're stunningly gorgeous. But I was surprised at the airport. You didn't tell me that you had done this."

"I wanted it to be a surprise for you," she said. "You were one reason why I did this."

"I didn't want you to change yourself just for me. I didn't need you to change yourself."

"But I wanted a change. I was sick of being Ugly Betty. I was sick of people making fun of me. I'm your girlfriend and people make fun of my hair and my glasses and my clothes."

"I don't make fun of those things."

"You used to."

"I used to be an asshole. But then I grew up."

"But I wanted to change my looks. I'm not changing myself, just my hair and clothes."

He smiled a little. "Betty, please don't ever change your personality. I love you because you're not like those models. You're a real person and I love that."

He watched as a smile flickered across her face and then tears brimmed up into her eyes. "Daniel, I'm a mess. I don't know what you're doing with me."

"I love you."

"I'm a pregnant hormonal mess."

"That might be," he replied. "But you're my pregnant hormonal mess. And no one else can ever have you."

"No one else would ever want me," she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"That's bullshit," he replied. "I can think of plenty of guys who would want you. But they can't have you. You're my Betty."

She smiled. "And this is your baby. You are Gabriella's daddy. Jesse was just a sperm donor."

Daniel laughed. "You know; we sort of owe him, in a way. If he hadn't gotten you pregnant and then bailed, we probably never would have started dating."

"That's a weird way of looking at it."

"It is but in a way it's the truth."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Daniel, tell me the truth; do you like the makeover?"

He nodded. "I loved the old you. But I can live with this Betty too."

* * *

"I don't want to go to work," Daniel told Betty the following Monday. "I'm tired."

"You're going to work," she replied. "You're the editor in chief of _Mode_ and you have to set a good example."

"I don't care about setting an example," he told her. "I just want to sleep. I'm still jet-lagged."

"Daniel Meade, you big baby, you spent the whole day in bed yesterday."

"But I'm still tired."

His girlfriend sighed. "Just get dressed and go to work. You can come home and sleep at the end of the day. But you will do your regular eight to five work day. I'm six and a half months pregnant and I'm going to work. So I won't hear your stupid excuses. Get your lazy ass out of bed and come to work with me."

He sighed and moaned. "Are you going to use your pregnancy to guilt-trip me until the baby comes?"

She shrugged. "Maybe, we'll see."

"Well then you're a Mean Mabel."

"You're so mature, Danny."

"You know I hate that name," he said throwing a pillow at her.

"Get out of bed and go to work like a good boy and I won't use it anymore," she replied throwing the pillow back at him.

He smiled and climbed out of bed. "I don't understand why I have to be there every damn day."

"Stop swearing in front of your daughter," she sighed.

"Fine, I don't get why I have to be there every single day," Daniel said as he put on a black pinstriped suit, dark blue shirt, and a silver tie.

"You're in charge of the business side of _Mode_. You're in charge of making all important decisions for the magazine."

"And I could do that from home for one day; I've done it before. I've even gone on vacation before."

She smiled. "Sweetie, you have three meetings today about things that have piled up while you were out of town. You're going to work."

"But I'm tired."

Betty tied his tie for him and patted it flat. "You're going to work. I promise you that we'll leave right at five o'clock and come home. I'll make dinner and you can go to bed as soon as dinner is over."

"I like that idea."

"But first you're going to work. There's a bagel with cream cheese and a cup of coffee sitting on the counter waiting for you. Martin will be picking us up in five minutes, so let's get going."

Daniel kissed her cheek. "Did I tell you that you look amazing?"

She was wearing gray trouser pants and a raspberry pink blouse with an empire waist and a silver necklace with matching earrings. And her hair was straightened and pinned up. She self-consciously touched her hair and smiled. "You really like it?"

He kissed her other cheek. "Of course, I think you look wonderful, absolutely gorgeous."

* * *

That evening Betty walked to her boyfriend's office at five o'clock to find him resting his head on his hand. "He's been like this most of the day," Amanda told her. "I think Paris basically killed him. But Wilhelmina didn't come in today because she was at home recovering. So I think Daniel definitely has a leg up on her."

"Why do you say that?"

"He looks way more committed to the job. They were supposed to have two meetings with major advertisers today and she didn't show. So he handled them by himself and as the representatives from American Apparel were walking out, I overheard one of them say that they like Daniel a lot more than Wilhelmina. He's a lot friendlier and nicer and more polite. They like doing business with him more because he isn't bitchy."

Betty smiled. "And now he's dying of exhaustion?"

"He stayed awake during his meetings but I think he's falling apart now. He was running on coffee all day but he crashed about an hour ago. He hasn't had coffee since noon."

"I'll take him home and put him to bed."

Amanda smiled. "Betty, I'm glad you two have each other. You're really good for each other. And I'm really happy that you guys are having a baby together. You two are going to have the world's cutest baby. I'm going to buy your baby so many clothes."

"That's awesome," Betty said with a smile. "We're really looking forward to having the baby too."

"Well, you'd better go rescue Daniel before he falls asleep at his desk."

Betty smiled at Daniel's new assistant and went into her boyfriend's office. "Hey, big guy, it's time to go home."

He looked up at her. "Are you serious?"

"I called Martin; he has the car waiting for us downstairs. So just put on your coat, get your things together, and we'll go downstairs and go home. I'll make something quick for dinner and then you can go to bed."

"I love you," he said as he stood up and packed his briefcase. "You seriously save my life daily."

"Then let's get you home. My feet are seriously killing me and the baby is giving my bladder hell."

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go home."

Amanda smiled as she watched Betty and Daniel walk hand in hand towards the elevator. "They're so cute," she whispered to herself.

* * *

"So I hear you met with American Apparel and they loved you," Betty told Daniel on the way home.

He nodded and leaned his head against her shoulder. "That's what they tell me. But I hear that you're being considered as the assistant editor for the beauty department."

"I got a memo saying that the EIC of _Mode_ had given me a glowing recommendation."

"Well, I hear he thinks you're amazing. And you know a lot about beauty."

She smiled. "Right now I'm writing a monthly piece about my pregnancy for your mom's magazine."

"I know; she lets me read it."

"What do you think of it?"

"I like it," he said. "But most of it isn't really anything new to me. I'm living through your pregnancy."

"You know what would be really interesting?"

"Huh?" he asked, blinking up at her.

"The next time I'm pregnant, you and I should both write a column like the one I'm writing now. You could get both parents' perspective on the pregnancy. It could explore its affects on their relationship with each other and their other children. Wouldn't that be really intriguing?"

"Are you saying that there will definitely be a next time?"

"Of course," she said. "We need to have at least one more kid together. I'm not raising Gabriella-Grace-Elizabeth as an only child. She needs at least one younger sibling."

"So you've actually thought about this?"

"What do you think I did while you were gone? Do you think I just sat around eating ice cream and watching _27 Dresses_?"

"Well, I know you got a makeover while I was gone."

"I also cleaned the apartment and thought about what I want out of life after I have the baby."

"We're having a baby in two and a half months," he said.

"We need to start working on getting furniture for her and buying clothes and bottles and all of that."

"Let's do that this weekend," he said. "Come to think of it; Amanda said something about wanting your baby registry so that she and Christina could throw you a shower."

"They want to throw me a shower?" Betty asked. "Are you serious? That's so exciting."

"Well, Christina is your friend. And I think that Amanda secretly likes you. But don't tell her that I'm on to her secret."

Betty laughed. "I won't, but I was getting a little suspicious myself. She has been being pretty nice to me, especially since she found out that I was pregnant."

Daniel smiled. "I think most people are impressed with you. You landed Daniel Meade and you're having his baby."

"I think you're a pretty amazing person. You're raising my daughter as if she were your own when her biological father won't take responsibility for his actions."

"I love you and your daughter. I'm doing this out of love."

"And that's what is so amazing about it. Most people never would have expected Daniel Meade to make sacrifices like this out of love."

He shrugged and smiled. "I grew up."

* * *

"So what exactly do we need for a baby?" Daniel asked Betty on Saturday as they shopped for things for the baby.

"Clothes, bottles, bibs, a crib, a stroller, a high chair, a bassinet, baby monitors, bedding, a changing table, and a swing," she replied looking at one of her books.

"How much is this going to cost us?"

"We register for the stuff and hope that other people buy it for us. Some of it we will have to buy ourselves but our family and friends will definitely buy stuff for us."

"If I'd known how expensive babies were, I'm not sure I would have agreed to this."

"She'll be cute and sweet and I'm the one who has to give birth to her, so you can't complain."

Daniel smiled. "That's true. I don't have to go through childbirth; I just have to part with money from my bank account."

"You're Daniel Meade; you can afford to buy your daughter a crib and changing table. And we should probably buy those today so we can get them set up and ready for her. And she'll need a dresser; we'll need someplace to keep all her clothes."

"She is a girl, after," Daniel teased. "She'll have lots of shoes and clothes and break Daddy's bank account."

"I doubt that," his girlfriend replied. "Daddy has a pretty big bank account."

"I want a son next. Girls are too expensive."

"She's the first child; they're always more expensive. If we get neutral colors of furniture, stroller, swing, and car seats, then we can reuse them with our future children."

"That's good thinking."

"It's what my parents did."

"My older brother was a selfish pig who didn't like sharing and got whatever he wanted."

"Would I have liked Alexis when she was a man?"

"I worshiped him when we were younger," Daniel replied. "So no, you probably would have thought he was an asshole. But he was a very unhappy man; he never wanted to be a man."

"How does Alexis feel about us having a baby?"

"She was surprised. She told me that she thought I was more of a legs man than a jugs man."

"What did you say?"

"I wasn't dating you for your body but your legs were just fine the way they were. I actually think she likes you."

"I'm a little afraid of her."

"Why is that?"

"She's so aggressive."

"She's my sister; she's a Meade. We're all aggressive. And becoming a parent has changed her."

"Does she spend a lot of time with DJ?"

He shook his head. "They probably see each other once a month. It's kind of hard for him. How would you feel if your mother died, you went and found the person you thought was your father and then you found out that he wasn't your father but rather your real father was a man who had a sex-change and was now a woman?"

"I'm confused just listening to you," Betty told Daniel.

"Welcome to my life," he replied. "If you plan on sticking around the Meade family, please remember that we are dysfunctional as all hell."

Betty smiled. "You're not that bad. You are actually pretty normal, especially when compared to the rest of your family."

"Well, your daughter will be connected to my family and our problems for the rest of her life when you make her last name 'Suarez-Meade' and write 'Daniel Meade' where it says 'father' on the birth certificate."

"And that's fine with me," she told him. "I have faith in Daniel Meade."

"Am I your Harvey Dent?"

She laughed. "Yes, you're my two-faced district attorney."

He made a face. "You're not nice."

"You started it."

"If I kiss you, will you please behave and not make me spend money that we don't need to spend today?"

"Yes," she said.

So he kissed her. And she behaved herself for the entire shopping trip.

* * *

A/N: Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_.

Daniel and Betty spent the next several weekends and weeknights getting the apartment ready for the baby. He had to put together the crib, which resulted in an entire Saturday of entertainment for his girlfriend. Betty just sat back in her new rocking chair and laughed at Daniel as he grew more and more frustrated with his project. Most of the rest of the furniture in the room was preassembled or much less complicated. But Daniel Meade, like all new fathers, had to do battle against the crib. "She's not even going to sleep in this thing for the first several weeks," Daniel protested. "She'll be sleeping in the bassinet in your room or in your bed."

"But I want to have this ready now. It's easier to do things now when we don't have a baby to take care of. Once Gabriella-Rosa-Christina is actually here, our lives will be much busier and much more chaotic. I, for one, will be much more sleep-deprived once there's a baby actually here demanding late night feedings."

"Fine, I'll put the crib together now."

"I thought that was what you were doing."

He smiled at her as she sat in the rocking chair and read parenting books. "I'm only doing this because I love you."

"That's okay. It's for our daughter. And I'm pretty sure you love her too."

"I might. I probably love her more than I love the woman who is making me put this crib together."

"I know; she's a mean bitch. But she loves you and she's very grateful for what you're doing."

"And I love her for some reason. But she is a crazy lady and way too pushy."

"She's pregnant; she can't help it."

He laughed. "Oh yes she can. But she just wants to drive me crazy."

"Yep, that's right; she just wants to push you to the same brink of insanity that she's being pushed to by her pregnancy."

"Oh, Betty, you know that I still love you."

"The jury is still out on you, Mr. Meade. But I like you a great deal and I think you're pretty amazing."

Daniel smiled and laughed. "You are ridiculous."

"But you love me and you want to have babies with me and maybe marry me."

"An eternity with you?" he said. "I'll have to think about that."

"Marriage is serious business."

"I know. I lived through my parents' marriage; I'm very cautious about the whole business."

Betty smiled. "My parents had a great marriage and I have faith that with hard work I could have the same."

"That's a good way to think."

"I like being positive."

"I've noticed. You've always been the most optimistic person in my world."

She laughed. "I walked into a glass wall and brought joy into your world."

"Well, initially I thought you were a freak and I wanted to get rid of you."

"I know about that. I was there."

"You know that I'm sorry about the way I treated you."

She nodded. "I know. And you know that I've forgiven; there was no permanent damage done."

He looked at her sadly. "Betty, you are beautiful and I don't know how to convince you of that. I know that you tell me that you understand but I really think that you're still trapped in those same insecurities that you had when you first came to _Mode_. You still have problems with your body image and you still don't believe that Daniel Meade of all men could be attracted to your curves. But it's like I told you once. You're better than any model. And you know what? Real women have curves. I'd rather watch you eat than have some anorexic model without a brain watch me eat."

Betty blushed and smiled as Daniel came over to her and put his hands on her pregnant belly. "You're gorgeous," he told her, kissing her stomach. "And I love you."

She squirmed suddenly and bit her lower lip. She took a deep breath and winced and then bit her lower lip again as she squeezed the arms of the chair. And then she let out a breath and a moan came out with it.

Daniel grabbed her hands. "Betty, are you all right?"

"No," she yelped. "I think I'm having contractions."

"But it's too early," he said. "You're just over seven months along."

"All I know is that I'm having really painful cramps and I feel wetness between my legs."

And when Daniel looked, there was blood coming from between her legs. He grabbed the phone and frantically dialed 911, detailing his girlfriend's situation to the operator who promised him that there would be an ambulance there soon. And then he called Dr. Cunningham who promised to meet them in the emergency room. By the time that call ended, the paramedics were there.

* * *

"She is in labor; the placenta started to deliver before the baby," Dr. Cunningham told Daniel after he had examined Betty at the hospital.

"What does that mean?"

"Typically, the placenta is delivered after the baby, but in this situation the placenta delivers first. And that's what's happening with Ms. Suarez. We have to deliver the baby right now. And then we'll take the baby to the NICU and Ms. Suarez will be admitted for a few days especially because she's lost a great deal of blood."

"But will they be all right?"

"I think so," he said. "But that baby is coming fast and I need to go deliver her."

* * *

A few minutes later, a nurse came out and told Daniel that he had a new daughter that they were taking up to the NICU and "we've taken your wife to the maternity ward. You can come up with us and someone will let you know when you can see your daughter."

He didn't have the energy to correct the nurse about his relationship with Betty. "Can't I see the baby now, really quickly? She's my daughter."

The nurse smiled sympathetically. "You can see her for a minute before they take her upstairs. Come with me."

He followed her into the room where he saw a small red baby in an incubator. "How is she?"

"She's a fighter," the nurse told him. "She weighs almost four pounds and she's in good shape for her size and age. But she's seven weeks early and that's rough on her, especially on the lungs. But we're going to take good care of her. And she should be able to come home in about seven weeks. But right now we need to get her upstairs. Do you have a name picked out for her?"

He nodded. "Gabriella Rosa Suarez-Meade," he told her.

"It's very pretty," she replied. "Congratulations, Daddy; we'll keep you updated."

* * *

And then Daniel had to call Ignacio and Claire and tell them what had happened. Both were at the hospital along with Hilda and Justin as fast as they could get there. Betty was sleeping and being given a blood transfusion due to having lost a great deal of blood. "She's so pale," Daniel told Ignacio as they stood in her hospital room.

"But she's a fighter," the older man replied. "She'll make it through this."

"I'm just worried about her and about Gabriella; they're so fragile."

"But they're fighters, Daniel. I have faith in both of them."

"Gabriella is so tiny and fragile. Why did this happen?"

Ignacio shook his head. "I don't know. But I do know that they need you to be strong right now."

Daniel touched his girlfriend's hand. "I just want my girls to be all right."

"They will be. You just have to be patient."

"But I don't like this. I'm just sitting here, doing nothing. There's nothing I can do to help them."

"I know it's hard."

"It's not hard," Daniel said, lashing out against his girlfriend's father. "It's damn impossible. Two of the most important people in my world are in the hospital and all anyone can tell me is that I need to be patient and let the doctors work their magic. I'm Daniel Meade and I'm used to instant gratification. I'm used to being able to get whatever I want. I throw down my money and tell people my last name and I get whatever I want when I want it. And I can't do that right now. And it's killing me. I can't do this."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Nothing," Daniel replied angrily. "There's nothing I can do. I'm just going to sit here and wait. And I'll pay for everything. But I'm not going anywhere."

Ignacio smiled. "You're a good father, Daniel. You have great potential."

"I love them," he said. "I love Betty and the baby. I just want them to be happy, healthy, and safe. And right now they're both in danger."

"Betty will be fine. And so will Gabriella. Just give them time. Trust the doctors; they'll take good care of our baby girls."

Daniel squeezed Betty's hand. "I love you, sweetie. I'm going to see our little girl now, but I promise I'll be back soon. You should see her, our Gabriella; she's beautiful." He twisted the hospital bracelet on his wrist that identified him as the father of Baby Girl Suarez-Meade. "She's absolutely amazing. And she's a fighter; she's like you. I love you and I'll be back with you very soon." He kissed her forehead and then left the room.

* * *

"How is she?" Claire Meade asked her son a few minutes later.

"She's asleep but they say she's doing well. She lost a lot of blood but she's doing well. She's a fighter, Mom," he replied.

"And how is the baby?"

"I'm going to see her now. They say they'll have to keep her here until her projected due date of April 7."

"It's February 14 now."

"Today is Valentine's Day," Daniel said.

His mother smiled. "That it is. So she'll be here for about seven weeks."

He nodded. "And I know she'll be fine. She's a strong little one."

"What's her name?" Claire asked as they walked towards the NICU.

"Gabriella Rosa Suarez-Meade," he told her proudly.

"That's beautiful."

"Betty picked it out. Rosa was her mother's name and we both really just like the name Gabriella."

"I like that name. And you can call her Ella."

"That's what we were thinking. There is also Gabby but we're not quite sure we want to do that."

"There she is," Daniel said when they reached the NICU, pointing to an incubator labeled "Baby Girl Suarez-Meade."

The baby had blinders over her eyes and she looked like she was drowning in her diaper. And she was still very pink. But to her grandmother none of that mattered. "She's gorgeous."

"Isn't she? It's hard to tell who she looks like right now but she's going to be beautiful."

"She isn't your daughter, is she?" Claire asked suddenly. "She is Betty's daughter but she isn't yours. Betty's ex-boyfriend, Jesse, is her father, isn't he?"

"How did you figure that out?"

"I remember finding Betty in the bathroom crying after he dumped her. She never knew that I saw her; but I did and I heard her say his name. And then a few days later you two came to me and told me that you were dating and she was pregnant. I knew you were lying to me but I also knew that you were in love with her. I've watched you fall in love with each other over the past few months and I'm not going to tell anyone. But I know. I just want you to know that I know."

"Ignacio knows too. He told us that he knew when we tried to tell him our story."

Claire smiled. "It'll be our secret. And you'll be a wonderful father to this little angel."

"I love her already."

"And that's more than we can say for that other scumbag who wanted nothing to do with his child."

"Hey, I get to be a father because of him. I'm not pleased with what he did but I love Betty and Gabriella."

Claire rubbed her son's shoulder and squeezed it. "Daniel, I'm proud of you. You're a good man."

He smiled and wrapped his arm around his mother's shoulder. "I'm just trying to be the best person I can."

"Betty is good for you."

"She's very good for me. She's saved me a million and one times and I love her for it."

"And I love her for it too. She's done so much for this family and now we're going to take care of her little girl."

"She's my little girl too," Daniel said. "Gabriella is my daughter. That's what her birth certificate is going to say and that's what we're going to tell her and that's the truth. Fatherhood is about more than just genetics. Responsibility and love are also a huge part of it."

"You're learning what family is and what it means."

He smiled. "Betty, Gabriella, and I are a family now. And they're a part of your family too."

"They are," his mother admitted. She looked at the baby in the incubator. "Can we hold her?"

"I'm not sure," he said. "They haven't told me yet."

"Then find out; I want to hold my granddaughter."

* * *

A few minutes later, Daniel got to hold his daughter for the first time. He had to wear a mask and a hat and gown and gloves but none of it mattered. He got to hold his little girl in his arms. "She's a gem," he said, stroking her soft cheek with his gloved thumb. "She's so beautiful."

A nurse standing nearby smiled. "I think every new father says that."

"Maybe but I think it's true. She's beautiful and she looks like her mommy. And she's Daddy's little girl, my princess."

"Is she your first child?"

He nodded. "We both a little overwhelmed and scared."

"That's understandable. A premature baby especially when it's the first child can be a bit overwhelming. But she's a strong baby and I'm sure she'll be home in no time."

"They said it'll be until her original due date, which is about seven weeks away."

"It all depends on how quickly she develops. It's mostly about lung and eye development at this point."

"I just want her to be all right. She's my little girl and I'm worried about her."

"I understand. But I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a strong one and she's a fighter. But we should probably get her back in the incubator now."

He nodded and kissed Gabriella's forehead before handing her back to the nurse. "I'll be back to see her again soon."

"And bring her mother to see her when she wakes up," the nurse told him as she put Gabriella back in her incubator.

"I will," he said.

* * *

Daniel stayed at the hospital as long as he could that day. And then he was back at the hospital at eight o'clock the next morning. "People are going to think you live here," Betty told him when he arrived in her room.

"I'm not leaving my girls alone any longer than I have to," he told her, kissing her forehead.

"They say I can see the baby today."

"She's lovely," he said. "I love her."

"Did you really name her Gabriella Rosa?"

He nodded. "It was the one thing that we always came back to."

"It's a beautiful name. I really like it."

"So do I," he told her. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie. You did an amazing job."

"I was terrified," she admitted. "I was in so much pain and there was all this blood everywhere. And I didn't know what was happening and then the paramedics came and it all gets fuzzy after that."

"You gave birth to the baby in the emergency room and then they admitted you. You slept a lot and they had to give you a blood transfusion."

"How is Gabriella?"

"She's in the NICU and they think she'll be there for a while. But she's strong and she's a fighter. For being seven weeks early, she is pretty healthy and in good shape. They think that she should be coming home before her projected due date. But her lungs need some help right now."

"Why did this happen?"

"They don't know but they say that you're in good shape and she should be fine."

Betty sighed. "I didn't want it to happen like this. I wanted to carry her to term. And I was looking forward to spending Valentine's Day with you yesterday."

"Well, now we'll spend Valentine's Day celebrating Gabriella's birthday for the rest of our lives. And we can have a romantic evening another time. We'll do something special to celebrate someday. But right now we need to focus on our daughter."

"Have you told DJ?"

"I called him this morning."

"And what did he say?"

Daniel shrugged. "I think he's excited but a little confused and worried about it all. But he wanted me to send him pictures of Gabriella and he's really looking forward to coming to meet her this summer."

"Did you talk to Alexis yet?"

"Mom called her yesterday; I'm not sure how much she cared. You know how she is."

Betty nodded. "Does anyone at _Mode_ know yet?"

"I don't know. I haven't told anyone but that doesn't mean anything in this business. Someone might know."

"We should tell Christina."

"She's your friend before she's mine. I think she'd really much rather hear it from you than me," he said handing her his cell phone.

She took a deep breath. "This is going to be rough."

"It'll be easier to do it now before she's heard from anyone else."

Betty slowly dialed Christina's phone number and looked sadly into her boyfriend's eyes as she listened the slow steady ringing. "Hey, Christina, it's Betty," she said. "I'm fine. But I have some news for you. I went into labor yesterday and the baby was born several weeks early. She's fine. We named her Gabriella Rosa Suarez-Meade. And she's a fighter. They've got her in the ICU. Daniel's seen her; he thinks she's beautiful. Yes, I know he's her father and he has to think that. Apparently, I get to see her soon. We'd love it if you came to visit. But only family can hold her, but you can see her through the window."

Daniel smiled. Gabriella really was a beautiful little girl and she had stolen his heart.

* * *

Less than an hour later, Betty got to hold her little baby girl for the first time. "She really is beautiful," she said, running her gloved thumb along Gabriella's cheek.

Daniel smiled as he watched his girlfriend hold their daughter. "She really is a gem. She's perfect."

"I like the name you gave her," she said looking up at him. "Gabriella Rosa is perfect. Thanks for using my mom's name."

"I know how important your mom was to you and I thought it would be good if her name lived on in her granddaughter."

Betty smiled and looked down at the tiny baby in her arms. "Gabriella Rosa Suarez-Meade, you are a very lucky girl. You have a father who adores you and a mother who loves you more than words."

She looked up at Daniel who smiled at her. "She's ours, Daniel. We get to keep her."

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoy it. Please review. There is a medical name for the placenta delivering before the baby and causing premature birth but I can't remember it right now and GoogleSpain does not seem to understand my American desires for English information.

Please review! I really hope you enjoyed it!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_.

* * *

Betty came home from the hospital on Tuesday. Daniel found himself working from eight o'clock until one o'clock at _Mode _and then going home to pick up Betty and take her to see Gabriella. Overnight, it was his daily routine. Day after day he watched his little girl grow and blossom. The doctors had decided that once Gabriella doubled her birth weight she could go home. When she was two weeks old, she weighed almost six pounds and the doctors started letting Betty breast-feed her baby. And Betty and Daniel started getting "skin time" with Gabriella. This involved letting the baby lay on their bare chests and just holding her, giving her human contact and letting her get to know her parents. Daniel loved holding his little girl and talking to her. "I love becoming her daddy," he told Betty once when he was holding Ella. His little girl was snuggled against her father's bare chest, sleeping. "I just love being able to hold her and love her."

"I want to take her home," Betty said. "I just want to bring her home and let her sleep in my bed and know that she's always safe and happy."

"I know," Daniel said, gently rubbing the baby's back. "But she's growing and her eyes are getting stronger. And so are her lungs. We should have her home very soon."

"But I want her there now."

"Sweetie, I do too. But we have to let her get healthier before we can."

Betty pouted and sighed. "She's my baby and I want to take care of her at our house."

"I know and we'll do that soon. Hopefully we'll have her home in another two weeks or so."

"But that's so far away. I just want her at home with us. I hate having to leave her alone at night."

"I do too. And I hate that I can only be with her for part of the day. But soon we'll have her at home with us and we can see her whenever we want."

* * *

Betty had taken to sleeping in Daniel's bed, just sleeping nothing more, ever since Ella was born. She said it made her feel safer and more comfortable. "Is this going to continue after we bring Ella home?" he asked her one night.

She shrugged. "It might. We might have to move her crib and bassinet in here. I just feel so empty without her. I had her in my belly for seven months and now she's in the hospital."

"I know," Daniel replied, running his fingers through his girlfriend's hair. "I want her to be with us where we can take care of her and protect her. But she is safe at the hospital."

"I love her so much, you know? She's my baby and I just want her to be healthy and home with us soon."

"We'll bring her home soon."

"Everyone wants to hold her," Betty said. "They've all seen pictures of her and even have been to the hospital and seen her through the glass. But only your mom and my family have actually gotten to hold her."

"Amanda wants to buy clothes for Ella."

"I know; she tells me every day when I get to work." Betty had gone back to work about two weeks after Ella was born, mostly out of boredom and the need to do something with her days besides worrying about her baby. She loved going to the hospital and holding her baby but there was only so much she could do there. Ella slept like most young babies. But she was getting more active and more alert with each passing day. She could recognize both Betty's and Daniel's voices and would turn her head when she heard them talking. She was starting to recognize Claire and Ignacio, both of whom came to see her almost daily. And everyone agreed that little Ella always seemed to be the most contented when she in her mommy or daddy's arms.

"Justin said he wants to design baby clothes for her."

"I'd rather trust that job to Christina," Betty replied. "I'm pretty sure that Justin would just bedazzle everything for her. And while I love my nephew, I don't need my daughter wearing sequins and looking like a drag queen."

Daniel laughed. "I really don't want my daughter to look like a drag queen. She's just a baby. And she's my princess. She's going to wear pink and purple and yellow."

His girlfriend shook her head and leaned it against his shoulder. He pulled her closer to himself and kissed the top of her head. "I want to have her with us, Daniel. I miss her when I'm not with her but I feel useless at the hospital. I hold her and I feed her. But she needs more than that and I can't do that for her. I'm her mother and I can't give her everything she needs. I'm failing my daughter."

"You're not failing her. You're doing everything that you can for her. But you, like me, feel helpless. Betty, I have all the money I could ever want in this life. And I can use it to pay for your medical bills and for Ella's. But it doesn't change what happened. Money doesn't change the fact that you had a placental abruption. Money doesn't change the fact that Ella was born seven weeks early. It can help us now that Ella is here. But it can't change the past. This is one situation that I can't really buy my way out of. And that makes me angry. I'm so used to instant gratification, to getting whatever I want. But there's none of that too. True, I can pay for all of this. I don't need to beg for help. But I can't just throw money at this and make everything better. I have to wait. And I don't like waiting. I don't like feeling helpless."

Betty found herself stroking Daniel's chest as she listened to his frustrations. "This isn't what you signed up for," she told him. "You didn't know that this was going to happen. And I'm sorry about that. But what I'm really grateful for is the fact that you're still here in spite of everything. You haven't run away from this and that amazes me. You're there at the hospital every day. You've stuck with me and that blows me away. You've grown up a lot in the past few years, Daniel."

"Where I go?" he asked her. "Betty, Ella is my daughter, my baby girl. I have to stay here. I love her and I'm not going anywhere. I have to stay with my girls. I love you both too much to go anywhere."

She smiled and shook her head. "You weren't always like this. But I love this. This is the Daniel that I need. You're amazing. I don't think Jesse would have been able to handle a premature baby and everything that's happened."

"That's why you have me. I can handle this. I'm taking it as it comes to us and just dealing with it as I have to."

"That just makes you sexier," she told him.

He smiled. "I think the past several months have just shown me how amazingly sexy you are. You did this amazingly strong thing in keeping the baby when your boyfriend walked out on you. But then you were willing to accept my offer of help. And your pregnancy was really a beautiful thing, even if you don't think so. You've just shown me how strong and powerful and sexy you are over the past several months."

"Then how come you've never tried to have sex with me? You're Daniel Meade. You'll sleep with anything that has two legs and boobs. And I have big boobs, especially now that I'm breast-feeding."

Daniel sighed and looked at her. "Exactly, I'm Daniel Meade and I supposedly can't keep it in my pants or maintain a stable relationship. But now I have a girlfriend whom I love and with whom I have a child. I cannot mess this relationship up. I love you and Ella far too much to just turn this into a dumb fling."

"Daniel, we've been dating for months now."

"We've only been dating for two and a half months and living together for five and a half. You gave birth a month ago. I'm not just going jump you right now. I have to respect you."

"But sometimes I wonder if you really are attracted to me."

"Oh my god, Betty," he said. "Honey, I'm so attracted to you that I'm practically going crazy right now. I love you. You gave me Ella. You're smart and you're funny as hell and you're amazingly beautiful. But I'm not going to have sex with you just because we've been dating for two and a half months. I'm going to wait until I think we're both ready for it. And I really feel like we should wait until after Ella comes home from the hospital."

"We are not having sex with her in the room. That's just wrong."

"Oh, I'll wait as long as you want," he replied. "I love you and I'm going to take this as slowly as I have to."

"Why are you doing this for me?"

"I love you," he told her. "I love you and I'm not going to lose you. I've watched you get hurt far too many times in the past few years. Never again, I've never watching you get hurt again. I can't do anything that will hurt you. But I'm also going to promise you that Ella will not be an only child."

Betty smiled and kissed Daniel, who smiled. She looked him in the eye. "You are a very good man, Daniel Meade. I'm really lucky to have you and I love you a lot."

"I love you too," he replied. "But if you're wondering, I do think you have an amazing set of boobs."

* * *

Gabriella Suarez-Meade came home from the hospital almost three weeks later, around her projected due date. She had suddenly lost weight after picking up a virus or something but then quickly regained it and made it home shortly after her projected due date. And then Betty took her four months maternity leave to stay home and take care of her daughter. But she was still writing freelance for Meade Publications. She was determined to not be completely financially dependent upon Daniel while they were dating. Marriage was something altogether different. But being financially dependent on your boyfriend, even if he was the father of your child, was never a safe idea. There was always the possibility that something could happen to end their relationship or something could happen to Daniel. And while she knew that Daniel was in the process of changing his will so that Betty, Ella, and DJ would be his sole beneficiaries, she still didn't want to just depend upon him for money. She needed to provide her own income. She was too independent to just depend upon Daniel for money. She loved Daniel but she wasn't his wife, at least not yet.

"What are you doing, Daniel Meade?" Betty asked when one day in early June she walked into her bedroom to find her boyfriend sitting on her bed talking to Gabriella about why men are evil monsters.

"I'm making sure she understands the danger my gender can do to her," he replied. "I'm explaining to her that men are evil, self-serving ninnies who are only after one thing."

"That explains a lot," she replied sitting down next to him. "That explains why you let me move in with you and you're helping me raise a child who isn't biologically yours. That really sounds self-serving and evil."

"I once was self-serving and evil," he told her. "But I grew up and became less self-serving and a good boy for you two."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I appreciate it. So is Gabriella enjoying her lesson?"

"I don't think she's paying attention. She's far more interested in Daddy's eyes."

Betty looked down at her daughter and saw that her daughter's dark brown eyes were indeed fixated on Daniel's bright blue eyes with a look of wonder and amazement. "You do have amazing eyes," she told him. "They are amazingly blue. They're probably very exciting when you're almost four months old. And they're her daddy's eyes. I think she adores you simply because you are her daddy."

He smiled. "I like being Daddy."

"I know," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder and looking down at their little girl in his arms. She had dark brown hair and big brown eyes that were always looking around eagerly. She was a little small for her age but she was growing quickly. She was clinging to one of Daniel's fingers with all of the tiny fingers on her small left hand. Her other tiny hand was clutching her baby blanket.

"I miss being pregnant," she admitted.

He looked at her. "No, we're not having another baby just yet."

She smiled up at him. "But you love her."

"Betty, she's not even four months old. She's so young. She needs time and attention from us that we couldn't give her if we had another baby just now. We need wait until she's a little older. I'd also like to have a two or three year gap between babies. And we're not having any more children until we're married."

"When are we getting married?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. We've been together for about six months. But I'm not quite ready to ask you to marry me yet."

"Why is that?"

"You don't need any more stress in your life. You're already dealing with raising Ella. You don't need the chaos of planning a wedding too."

"Can't you let me decide that?"

"I'm the one who has to go buy the engagement ring and ask you to marry me," he replied. "And I love you and I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know I want to continue building a family with you. But we've both been through a lot in the past few months and I think we should wait until Ella is a little older before we get married."

"You've actually thought about this," she said.

He nodded. "I want to keep you and Ella in my life. You are my life, my family now. I'm not just going to let you go. Betty, I love you. I'm not quite ready to ask you to marry me and I don't think that we're quite ready to get engaged or married to each other. But I am promising you that I will ask you to marry you, one day soon."

Betty smiled at him. "I can accept that. Just don't wait too long."

* * *

With Ella at home, Betty and Daniel went back to sleeping in their own rooms. She felt that he would never get a good night's sleep if there was a baby in his room crying every two hours. And Daniel was determined to respect whatever limits Betty wanted to put on their relationship when it came to Ella. He knew that having a baby in their lives was changing everything. Betty was sleeping less. He was coming home from work earlier to spend time with his girlfriend and his daughter. He loved the days when Betty would bring Ella into work so the three of them could have lunch together. It was fun to watch people like Marc and Amanda interacting with his baby. They genuinely seemed to adore the little girl. Amanda always had little presents for her former roommate's daughter. Christina was always designing little things for Ella's wardrobe. "She's going to be the best dressed baby ever born," Claire Meade remarked once while looking at her granddaughter's closet. "She has designer baby clothes."

"That wasn't my idea," Betty replied. "People send those to her simply because of Daniel's job. They think they'll get more ad space in _Mode_ if they send him things for Ella."

Claire laughed. "It happened to us when Alexis and Daniel were born too. People really wanted attention and favors from Bradford, even then." She took Ella from Betty's arms and kissed the top of the baby's head. "But don't you listen to them, little angel. People will want to be your friend just because you're a Meade. Ignore them. Find the people who like you for yourself. You're more than your money and your last name. You're a beautiful little girl with wonderful parents who really love you. And you have a grandmother who wants to spoil you rotten."

The baby cooed and grabbed at her grandmother's necklace and gurgled. Then she stuck the necklace in her mouth. Betty gasped and tried to rescue the necklace, which looked expensive. Claire laughed and shook her head. "It's fine. I don't wear my fancy things around her. I have things that I don't mind her putting in her mouth."

Betty stroked her daughter's soft hair and smiled as the baby happily gummed away on the chain of her grandma's necklace. "She really likes to chew my hair."

"That's why I cut my hair when Alex and Danny were small. Daniel loved putting things in his mouth, especially hair and earrings. Short hair and only stud earrings were the cure for a while. And when he got older, I could wear dangling earrings again."

"But Daniel loves playing with my long hair."

"He won't leave you just because you cut your hair; he's not his father," Claire said frankly. "He loves you and this little girl too much to go running anywhere else. And you don't have to cut your hair. But you'll want to wear it up more as she gets older. She'll start grabbing at it and yanking it and it will hurt. If you don't cut it, at least start pulling it up more. I think he'll actually like that one even more."

Betty self-consciously touched her hair, which was shorter than it had once been. "I wear it up more than I did before Ella was born. But I think that's because I don't have as much time I as I did before she was born."

Claire smiled. "Just wearing child-friendly jewelry; that's what I did when my children were little. Daniel especially loved putting jewelry in his mouth and pulling on my earrings. But he was a sweetheart. He was a good baby; he wasn't very fussy but he loved to play and grab things."

"I think he's still like that. He loves playing, hates working hard, and I think he still loves putting things in his mouth."

"My ears are burning," Daniel said walking into the room.

"How did you know we were talking about you?" his girlfriend asked.

He shrugged. "Who else do we know who loves to play, hates working hard, and loves putting things in his mouth?"

"Becks," his mother told him. "He's much worse than you are. You're at least willing to work hard when it's for something that you want."

"Hard work has its rewards," he replied. "I got Betty through hard work."

His girlfriend smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist before she leaned her head against his chest. "I like you, my big strong man."

"I like you too, little lady. I like you very much."

She smiled and he kissed the top of her head. Claire laughed and smiled. "Ella, you have two wonderful parents who are very much in love with each other."

Ella gurgled and went back to chewing on her grandmother's necklace. Daniel reached out and took his daughter from his mother. The little girl started fussing at being taken away from the necklace but then started chewing on the buttons on her father's shirt. He kissed the top of her head. "I love you very much, little angel."

Betty kissed the top of her daughter's head and smiled. "I'm pretty sure she loves you too. And I know I love both of you."

"I'm pretty sure I love all three of you. You're the most important women in my life."

"What about your sister?" Claire asked.

"She's okay," Daniel joked. "But my mother, my daughter, and my girlfriend are more important."

Betty smiled as she stroked her daughter's hair. And Claire smiled as she watched the way her son interacted with his family. He really was in love with his girlfriend and their little girl. She wondered what Bradford would think to see Daniel as a loving father and boyfriend who planned to one day marry his girlfriend and continue his family with her. Her husband had hired Betty to keep Daniel from sleeping with his assistants all the time. And here Daniel was starting a family with his former assistant. It was true that on his deathbed Bradford had told Betty to take care of Daniel. But Even he couldn't have know that Daniel and Betty would one day build a family and a life together.

* * *

A/N: Please review! I'm in the middle of exams and then I have to move back home, so it may be a bit before the next chapter appears.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_.

* * *

Gabriella Suarez-Meade grew quickly. She was sitting up in August and eagerly cooing away to herself. She would occasionally try to eat her mother's hair. But in general, she was a very affectionate baby. She was slowly catching up with where a six month baby should be. And her favorite person in the world was Daddy. Amanda frequently found Daniel in his office holding his daughter and talking to her. Betty had gone back to work but Ella spent her days at the Meade Publications employee daycare, so her parents saw her frequently. They usually spent lunch breaks with her and Daniel often found excuses to keep her in his office for a while after lunch because he wanted to spend time with his little girl. Betty was still breast-feeding Ella and so she got to see her daughter a few times a day. She was now working at a junior editor in the beauty department and loved it. But she loved being a mother more. And one day she admitted to Christina that if she ever married Daniel and had another baby, she would definitely give up the magazine world to be a stay at home mother when her children were young. "Ella is just growing up so fast and I feel like I'm missing out on so much. I just want to take care of her and watch every moment and every change."

Christina smiled. "Does Daniel know how you feel?"

"No, if I told him, he'd find a way for me to be a stay at home mom. This is Daniel Meade we're talking about. He can afford to do whatever he wants. He wouldn't be afraid to just throw money at me. He's used to solving his problems by throwing money at them."

"And he adores you. I think he'd give you whatever you wanted. He just wants to make you and Ella happy."

"I know. I worry sometimes that he's going to spoil her rotten."

"I think he wants to give her everything that he never had."

"Which is love," Betty said. "He wants her to know that she matters to him. I think he felt like he didn't matter to his parents and he wants Ella to know how much she means to us."

"She's a baby. All that she knows is that Daddy holds her and kisses the top of her head," Christina told her friend.

"He loves that little girl more than anything in the world."

"He really was meant to be a father."

"He's a natural father," Betty said. "I don't know how to explain it but he really was meant to be a father."

Christina nodded. "I've seen him with your little girl. He loves her very much. When you first told me that you two were together and were having a baby, I was surprised. I didn't see Daniel Meade as the paternal type. I couldn't see him as a father at all. I knew that he'd been good with DJ but I wasn't sure how he was going to do with a newborn, with a baby for whom he would be responsible for many years. And then I saw him through your pregnancy and then when Ella was born. I saw him holding her and I knew that he loved her more than anything. I know how protective he was of both of you when she was born premature. She is his little girl. He adores her. And I know everyone says she looks just like you and has none of Daniel at all in her but I think there is a little bit of Daniel in her. She has his nose."

Betty smiled. "I think it's hard to tell yet. We all know she has my hair and eyes and coloring. But we'll see what happens as she grows."

* * *

"Christina thinks that Ella has your nose," Betty told Daniel that night as he made dinner and she held the baby.

Daniel laughed. "That's interesting. I'm not quite sure how that's possible. But it's nice to know."

"Someday we'll have a baby with your nose."

"If you insist, it doesn't really matter to me."

"I really want a baby with your eyes," she said. "I think they're my favorite part of you."

He laughed and kissed her nose. "I'd think there would be other parts of me that you'd like more."

"Nope," she said. "The eyes are the windows to the soul and you have amazing eyes. They're clear and alive and vibrant. They're how I've always known that you're a good person."

"Do you know how much I love you?" he asked.

"Tell me," she replied. "How much do you love me?"

"I want to give you the world," he said. "I want to give you everything. I love you more than anything. You are my world. And I want to give you everything. You have given me so much. And I want to do the same for me. You and Ella, you have changed my life. You've given me a reason to keep going. You brought life and light into my life. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone before. I love you more than I love myself and that is saying a lot for me. I've never felt that way about anyone else before in my life."

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," she replied. "I didn't understand you at all when we met. But you've changed so much and grown so much." She adjusted their daughter on her hip. "I never would have thought of you as a father and I especially never would have thought of you as someone who would have sacrificed his liberty and bachelorhood for someone like me and their baby. I never would have thought of you who would step in and take responsibility for another man's child. But you've done so much for me. You've really become a daddy. You're an amazing daddy to our little girl. She really is your daughter, genetics be damned. I'm so grateful for everything you've done for us. And I keep falling in love with you. Every day I love you more."

Daniel looked at the baby in his girlfriend's arms. "Do you know what you've done, little girl? You've brought the world's most promiscuous bachelor together with a beautiful woman who actually gave a damn about life and made him want to care about the people around him?"

"You weren't the world's most promiscuous bachelor," Betty replied. "You're not as bad as Hugh Hefner."

He laughed. "Okay, I was the worst one on the eastern seaboard."

"Nope, you forgot Becks."

"You just won't let me get down on myself."

"You're a better person than you make yourself out to be," she told him, rubbing his back. "Now stop wooing me and start paying attention to dinner. I want to eat your cooking tonight, not take-out." She looked at him and then started as thought came to her. "Have you ever considered that your heart problems might be partially related to the amount of take-out and restaurant food you used to eat? I think about the stuff you eat and I'm amazed that you're in such good shape."

"I work out for an hour every day," he replied, patting his trim waistline. "But I guess that stuff would affect my sodium levels if nothing else."

She shrugged. "It was just a thought. I'm just thinking about things we can do to keep you healthy."

"No Ben and Jerry's in this house," he replied. "And there's the list on the fridge. You know what it says."

She laughed. "I'm not your mother, Daniel Meade. I'm your girlfriend. I'm Ella's mommy, aren't I, sweetheart?"

Ella replied by grabbing her mother's necklace and sticking the B in her mouth. Daniel laughed. "When are we giving her a younger sibling?"

"When I'm not breast-feeding her," Betty replied. "And I thought you wanted to wait until after we got married before we had any more kids."

"You're right," he said, rubbing the baby's back as her mother retrieved the necklace from the slobbery mouth and gave the baby a toy. "And I will propose soon. I'm just waiting for the perfect moment. I have plans."

Betty smiled. "Is dinner ready?'

He nodded. "I'll hold Ella if you'll set the table."

She handed the baby over and he grinned as he kissed the baby's soft cheeks and held her chubby little body close to his chest. She cooed and then spat up all of the shoulder of his dress shirt. And while that once would have made him angry, Daniel just laughed, put Ella in her playpen, took off his shirt, and then picked his daughter back up. "You're a silly girl," he whispered in her ear and she smiled.

* * *

DJ had spent most of the summer in New York with his uncle and his new baby cousin. It was clear that DJ and Ella adored each other. He thought she was adorable and entertaining. And she just loved being held and loved. Her cousin held her and kissed her forehead. He refused to change her diapers and laughed when she spat up after being fed. And he grew closer to his uncle and his uncle's girlfriend. "I want to come and spend Christmas with you here in New York," he told Daniel before he left. "I like Betty and Ella. I want to spend more time with you. You are my family too and I want to see you more."

"We can try to come to France and see you for Christmas," Daniel told his nephew. "Now that Betty isn't pregnant anymore it's easier for us to travel. And we'd love to bring Ella to Paris at some point."

"But I want to visit my cool rich American uncle in America with his American girlfriend and their American daughter."

The uncle laughed. "We'll see what we can do. But I think Betty and I would also like to come and see you in France. We'd love to bring Ella to France."

"And I would like to have you in France. But I want to come here for Christmas. I want my grandparents to get to know you and Betty and Ella here in America. I want them to see what you are like with your family, that you are a good man who loves his family and not just another dumb American playboy."

"Is that what they call me?"

He nodded. "They say that you are just stupid and irresponsible. But I don't think so. If you were, why would you be in this relationship with Betty? Why would you be raising your daughter in a family with her mother? You've grown up. You've changed. You're not the person you were when you met my mother."

Daniel smiled at his nephew. "No I'm not."

"So if my grandparents come here, they can see you and see how you've changed. They'll see you with Betty and Ella. They'll see that you're a good person. And they'll let me see you more."

"I'd like that and I think the girls would too."

"So invite my grandparents to come visit for Christmas, please."

"I don't speak French very well."

"They speak English. Just call them, please."

"I will," Daniel promised his nephew. "You will come and see me. It'll be great."

"I'll like that."

"Is everything all right in here?" Betty asked walking into the room with Ella on her hip.

"I want to come here with my grandparents for Christmas. I want us all to spend it together as a family."

She smiled. "That sounds great. We would love to have you all here."

"And Alexis could come too. It could be my whole family together for Christmas," the fifteen-year-old said eagerly.

"Alexis hasn't met Ella yet," Daniel commented.

"That's her loss," DJ said. "Ella is a great little girl. I really like her."

"I think she likes you too," Betty said as her daughter grabbed at her cousin. He took her in his arms and kissed her forehead.

Daniel smiled. "I think he'd be a great big brother but he'll never be one."

"But he can be a good older cousin."

"And someday he'll have more cousins."

"That's my plan," Betty replied.

* * *

Betty and Daniel spent Thanksgiving with the Suarez family. And amazingly, DJ got his grandparents' to agree to come to New York City for Christmas with the Meade clan. Alexis was also coming, which made Daniel both nervous and excited. "I'm worried she'll make fun of me," Daniel told his girlfriend. "We used to say that we'd never settle down and get married and have families. And now I've done that. I'm glad I have you and Ella but I'm nervous. I don't like it when she picks on me. And we all know that I suck at fighting."

Betty laughed. "You do suck at fighting. So just be honest with your sister. Tell her that you don't care what she thinks. It's your life and you can make your own decisions."

He looked down at his shoes. "But she's my big sister. She scares me. She might be a girl but she can still kick my ass."

"So don't provoke her."

He sighed and looked at her. "You don't understand. Hilda isn't like Alexis; she isn't as easily provoked."

Betty smiled and leaned her head against Daniel's shoulder. "You'll be fine. You're doing what makes you happy. You're daddy and you love it. She can't take that away from you."

He smiled and leaned his head against hers. "She can't take my family away from me. I have you and Ella and no one can take you away from me. I'm going to marry you and we're going to keep building our family together."

She looked up at him. "You're going to marry me? When will this be taking place?"

He shrugged. "You get to pick the date. But I have this early Christmas present for you in my top dresser drawer. It's pretty nice; I think I got it at Tiffany's. If you want it, it's yours."

She jumped off the bed and ran over to his dresser and opened the top drawer. Inside, she found a piece of paper saying "Just kidding, go to Ella's crib."

Daniel smiled and jumped off the bed as Betty ran to her own bedroom where she found her ten-month-old daughter sleeping in her crib. And next to her head was a velvet box. Betty picked it up and turned around to see Daniel in his pajamas, down on one knee. She gasped and dropped the box. "Is this serious?"

He picked up the box and nodded. "Will you marry me?"

She nodded, still speechless and he slipped the simple diamond and white gold ring onto her finger. "We're engaged," she whispered. "We're getting married."

He kissed her and pulled her into his arms. "Why not make it official? We've been dating for over a year now. We have a daughter together. We live together. We are a family. Let's just make it legal."

"So I'm guessing we won't be having a big wedding?"

He shrugged. "Do we need one? I'd prefer just something small with our friends and family and Ella."

She smiled and crawled into his lap. "I could handle that. But where would we get married?"

"I don't know. We could use my mom's mansion. It has plenty of big rooms or we could just do something outside in the summer."

Daniel smiled with pleasure as she rested her head against his chest and looked adoringly up into his eyes. "I just want to marry you," she said. "I don't care where or when. I just want our families and friends there. And Ella has to be there. Something small and simple with our families, that's all I need."

"You don't need the big fancy church wedding?"

"Do I look like the big fancy church wedding type to you?"

He shook his head and leaned his pale cheek against her dark hair. "No, you're not. You are the backyard wedding type. And I finally get to marry you. And we can think about making Ella a big sister."

"You really just want to get in my pants again."

"Again?" Daniel asked. "We've been dating for a year and you still haven't let me in. All I'm looking for these days is a family. I've got you and Ella but I want to keep building that family. I love you and I want to keep building up our family. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to grow old with you and watch our children grow up with you. I want to get old and fat with you."

She kissed his cheek. "I'll consider it. After all, you are Daniel Meade. You're intelligent, handsome, and the father of my daughter."

He smiled. He loved it when Betty referred to him as Ella's father without any thought for Jesse. He also loved it when people told him that Ella had his smile or his nose or his ears. There was no way Ella could have inherited anything physically from him. But she was still his daughter, his baby girl.

* * *

Ella was crawling by Christmas. And she would occasionally try to stand up while hanging onto a chair, a couch, or her parents' hands. She loved clinging to Daniel's hands and standing on his feet. DJ also started playing with his baby cousin when he arrived in New York for Christmas. One day, Betty walked into her living room to find DJ walking around the room with Ella balancing on his feet. "She's so cute. She loves this and she just wants to walk around and explore."

"Everything is new to her," Betty told him. "It's her first Christmas. She's never seen any of this before. She's never walked before. She probably doesn't remember meeting you this summer."

He smiled and picked her up. Ella wrapped her chubby arms around his neck and leaned her head against his chest. "She's so sweet. I wish I got to see her more often."

"Daniel and I are planning on bringing her to Paris with us next month. You can see her then. We'll be in town for about a week."

"But then I won't see her again until your wedding in the summer. And she grows and changes so much every day."

"I know. I feel like I miss out on things when I'm away from her at work during the day."

"But you still get to see her."

Betty nodded. "But you'll be here all summer. You'll get two and a half months with her."

DJ grinned at that thought. He was going to be Daniel's best man and then get to spend the rest of the summer with his uncle and his uncle's family. Betty and Daniel were hoping to make DJ really feel like he was a part of the Meade family. They were also hoping that he would grow closer to Daniel and his little cousin. Betty also wanted to grow closer to him. But they were really hoping that DJ and Ella would keep bonding.

* * *

For Christmas, Daniel gave Betty a locket with a picture of their family inside. The front had flowers with each of their birthstones and inside was a picture of Daniel and Betty with Ella. "I just want you to know how important you both are to me. You're my family. You're the most important things in my world."

She kissed him for that. He'd given her the locket in their bedroom on Christmas Eve after they'd put Ella to bed. After they got engaged, Betty moved into Daniel's room and her old bedroom became their daughter's nursery. Betty was becoming more and more comfortable as Daniel's lover. She was learning to stop comparing herself to the blonde models that had once filled the empty half of his bed. It was obvious that Daniel wasn't comparing her to them; he obviously thought that she was something far better than they were. "You're more beautiful, more real than they could ever try to be," he told her.

"You've changed so much," she said with a smile. "And I love you so much."

"What did you get me for Christmas?" he teased.

"Coal," she replied.

He smiled. "I don't think so. I think you got me something better."

"It's under the tree," she told him. "I was saving it for tomorrow morning."

"There are several presents for me under that tree."

"One is special."

"And what is it?"

She shrugged. "Follow me."

Daniel followed Betty out into the living room and watched as she took a small box out from under the tree and handed it to him. He shook it and she laughed and sat down next to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his as he opened the package. "A piece of paper?" he asked as he lifted it out of the box.

"It's a promise," she told him. "I'm promising you that even with the wedding plans and Ella we're still going on a date at least once a month. We can get a babysitter and go out for dinner or to a movie every month. I know it's not much but I wanted to give you something special."

He pulled her into his lap and kissed her. "It's perfect. I love it. It's way better than socks or a tie."

She smiled. "But you need socks and ties."

"I know. But I have more than enough money to buy them for myself. You and Ella can give me things that are more special."

"Someday you'll love the weird ties that your children pick out for you and wear them to work with pride even if they don't fit perfectly with your role as editor in chief of _Mode_."

He smiled. "I'm sure I will. I'm also sure that someday many of my presents will come from my children and will really be bought by you or me."

"I think you mean will be paid for. The kids will pick the presents out but then we'll pay for them."

"Well, yeah," he said leaning his head against hers. "You know what I mean. I can't wait until Ella is old enough to really enjoy Christmas."

Betty grinned. "It's going to be amazing. But right now I'm enjoying her the way she is."

"I know. I love her the way she is. And I'm sure I'm going to lose my mind when she starts walking for real and getting into everything."

"We're going to have to baby-proof the apartment."

"You just ruined Christmas."

She laughed and kissed him. "I'm sorry sweetie. I love you. And she's not walking yet. You don't have to do it tomorrow. But we should go to bed now; I'm getting sleepy."

"But I don't want to move. I'm tired and I don't feel like going anywhere."

"Honey, your back is not going to agree with that statement tomorrow morning."

"Are you treating me like an old man?"

She smiled and stood up, stretching and yawning before saying anything to him. Then she nodded wordlessly and motioned for him to stand up. He shook his head and sighed but when she reached out her hand, he took it and stood up. And then he followed her to bed.

* * *

A/N: Please review! I know it rushed through a lot of things but I more just wanted to show important moments.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I do not own _Ugly Betty_. Please enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Daniel looked at his sleeping daughter who was lying on the bed next to him. His fiancee was sound asleep still. But as usual, Daniel was a little too captivated by Ella to sleep. He loved just looking at her and watching her. She was his little girl and he adored her. Biologically, she might be Jesse's daughter but biology could be damned. He didn't care about that. Ella was his daughter. He had been there for every doctor's appointment, seen every ultrasound, heard her heartbeat, spent hours with talking to Betty's belly and feeling her kicks, been there when Ella was born, and a million other important events in the little girl's life. He had been there for her first word "Da-da!" which she had said while in his arms and pulling on his nose. He had held her fingers while she slept and kissed her when she cried. He was her daddy.

* * *

Betty's life became busier and crazier as the year progressed. Ella was growing and demanding more attention. Betty had a job to do, which involved more and more work with each passing day. There were articles to write and articles to answer. And then she had a wedding to plan. While the wedding wasn't going to be anything big, just a small affair with their one hundred closest friends and family at the Meade family summer home in the Hamptons, it still required a lot of work and time. And then she had to spend time with her family and friends. And then, when all of that was done, she had to find time to spend with Daniel and Ella. One day shortly before Ella's first birthday, Daniel walked into the apartment to find Betty in the kitchen holding a crying Ella on her hip, cooking dinner, typing an email on her laptop, and talking on the phone. She just looking overwhelmed. "Look, Jayne, I understand that you're busy and under pressure. But we need this article by Friday. We are a magazine with deadlines to keep. Ella, just a smile. I know you're tired and hungry, but Mommy is a little busy right now."

Daniel put his briefcase on the dining room table-something that had only come into his life after Betty moved into his apartment and insisted that he make it look like human beings actually lived there. Then he grabbed his daughter from her mother and settled her on his hip. Then he grabbed the spoon from Betty. "I'll make dinner. You work and I'll deal with Ella and dinner."

She nodded and took her phone and laptop into the laptop into the living room. In a few minutes, Daniel had dinner ready and Ella calmed down. When he went into the living room to tell Betty that dinner was ready, she was off the phone and crying. "What's wrong?" he asked, setting Ella down on the floor.

"I'm a bad mother," his fiancee replied.

"No, you're not."

"Daniel, I was multi-tasking so much that I didn't have time for our daughter. I was cooking, working, and trying to take care of Ella. But I was failing Ella. She was upset and I couldn't take care of her because I had to talk to Jayne and email Alicia. I made work more important than my daughter. And I feel like I do that too much."

He sat down next to her and pulled her against his chest. "You aren't a bad mother."

"Yes, I am," she retorted quickly. "I don't have enough time to take care of my daughter and work. I'm doing too much. I feel like I never have time for you or Ella. I'm always so busy with work and the wedding."

"So take a break," he said. "You can afford to do that, can't you?"

"I don't know," she sobbed. "I have articles due in a couple of weeks and I have people expecting me to do things. I can't just let them down. I can't just stop and take a mental health day because I want to spend time with my daughter."

"Umm, you're engaged to the editor of _Mode_. I think you can do whatever you want. No one will argue with you. If I tell Alicia that you need to take a couple of days off to spend with Ella or to plan the wedding, she'll have to give them to you. You're my fiancee and I run the magazine. My family owns Meade Publications. If I tell people to jump, they have to jump."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Daniel, you're pathetic with your abuse of power."

He laughed. "What good is power if I can't abuse it for the sake of my fiancee? I thought that was why I had power, to impress women."

Betty laughed. "You need to shave," she said running a hand along his jaw-line. "Touching your face is like touching sandpaper."

"It's Friday," he said. "I can be a little more lax about things. I can be casual for the weekend. And besides, some people think that a little five o'clock shadow is sexy."

She laughed. "Well, I guess you can keep it for the weekend. The disheveled look isn't entirely unattractive. But you do look a little like you did when you supposedly when to Rio for two weeks. A little beard always makes you look like a hobo."

He glared at her. "That's not a very nice thing to say to someone who just offered to let you take a few days off from work to spend with your beautiful little daughter."

"My beautiful little daughter who currently has the keys to Daddy's Ferrari in her mouth," Betty quipped.

Daniel looked down to see Ella sitting by their feet with his car keys in his mouth. He picked her up and took his slobber-soaked keys out of her tiny fingers. "Gabriella Rosa, we do not eat Daddy's keys in this family especially not the keys to his favorite car."

Betty smiled as he put his keys in his pocket. "Is dinner ready?"

"Yes," he replied before kissing Ella's forehead. "That was why we originally came out here. We were going to tell you that we had set the table and finished dinner all by ourselves."

She kissed Ella's forehead and then Daniel's lips. "I'm impressed. Can we eat now? I'm famished."

"Ella, Mommy is using her SAT words again."

"Sweetie, just remind your daddy that he went to Harvard and should know what all of my SAT words mean."

Daniel laughed and kissed his fiancee before kissing his daughter. "Let's go eat."

"I like that idea."

"Da-da!" Ella pronounced grabbing her father's hand.

"Yes, that's your da-da," Betty said with a smile they stood up.

"My," Ella said and her parents both laughed as they headed to the dining room table, which was properly set with dishes. Daniel settled Ella in her high chair and gave her some green beans.

"Alexis is coming into town tomorrow," Daniel told Betty after they'd started eating.

"Really? When did this happen?"

"She emailed me today and asked if I could pick her up. I guess she's staying with Mom but Mom has something going on tomorrow evening. I think she has a date or something."

Betty smiled. "How long with Alexis be around?"

Daniel shrugged. "I'm not really sure. But apparently, Ella charmed her so much at Christmas that she wants to be here for Ella's first birthday party. And she's bringing DJ's present with her."

"He adores Ella."

"I know. On Sunday, he was talking to her and she was just listening with a big smile on her face. And when he said good-bye to her she said 'Dan.'"

Betty grinned. "So she knows Mamma, Da-da, my, and Dan."

"And ga-ga," Daniel said. "You can't forget that one."

"No you can't. But she's doing really well for a baby who was born seven weeks premature. She's developing much faster than they expected."

"I know. I remember how worried we were a year ago. I don't think I ever expected her to be developing at the same pace as a baby who was born at term."

"I know I didn't. And I don't think the doctors did either."

"Bah!" Ella said before throwing a green bean at her father.

"Gabriella Rosa Meade," her mother said.

"Mama," was Ella's response before handing her mother a green bean with a proud smile on her face.

Betty took the green bean from her daughter. "That is much better. Can you show Daddy that you're sorry?"

Ella kissed her hand and showed it to her father who smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I think she is developing quite normally."

* * *

"Is this Ella?" Alexis asked when she walked into Betty and Daniel's apartment the next evening. "She's getting so big. I just saw her last month when you were in Paris but she's grown so much since then."

Daniel nodded. "She's almost walking by herself. She can stand up by herself. And if you help her, she'll try to take a few steps. But she's not quite walking on her own yet."

"She's gorgeous," Alexis said, taking Ella from Betty's arms. "She's absolutely gorgeous. She looks like her mother. But I think there is some Meade in her."

Everyone said that there was some Daniel in Ella. But they all differed on where it was. Some said she had his ears while others said his nose or his smile. "She really looks like Betty," Daniel said. "Her baby pictures look just like her mother's."

"I believe it. She's just so beautiful."

Betty laughed and blushed slightly. "She gets that from her daddy."

Ella held out her hand to her father and said, "Ga?"

Daniel laughed and took the little hand in his much larger one. "Whatever you say, princess; I'm sure it's true."

"My," the baby said with a happy smile.

"Is that your daddy?" Alexis asked her niece who was beaming at her father. "Is that Daddy?"

Ella grabbed her aunt's nose and smiled proudly. "Da!"

"You smell, little lady," Daniel said. "Alexis, let me take her and change her. We'll be back shortly."

Alexis handed Ella over. "That's the best part of being an aunt," Betty said. "You can enjoy them when they're being cute but you don't have to change diapers or take care of three o'clock feedings."

"She's such a little charmer," Alexis said. "You two are so lucky to have her. She's such a sweetheart and such a good baby. I wasn't too sure about you two but now, with Ella, I really understand it. She really makes it all make sense and makes it all click. Daniel was born to be a father. I never realized that until recently."

Betty nodded. "He loves having someone who cares for him and to care for. He loves being needed."

"He's grown up so much in the past several years. I just can't believe the change in him. He's so mature, responsible. It's amazing. And it's not just Ella; it's you too. I think it started with you. Something about you made him grow up and become responsible."

"It wasn't just me. I'm sure there were other things involved. I know DJ helped."

"But you've taught him how to take responsibility for things. Ten years ago, Daniel never would have stuck around if he'd gotten a girl pregnant. He would have been gone as soon as he heard the word pregnant."

"This time he stuck around. I'm really impressed with him. I honestly wasn't sure if he would stick around or if he would run when I told him there was a baby coming. But he stepped up to the plate. And he's a great dad. He obviously adores her and wants her."

"We're back!" Daniel said coming back into the room with Ella in his arms.

Betty took her daughter from her fiancé and kissed the baby's cheek. "Did Daddy do a good job changing your diaper?"

"Mama!" Ella said, grabbing her mother's nose.

"She really likes noses, doesn't she?" Alexis asked.

Daniel nodded. "Betty doesn't wear her hair down around her, so she can't grab that. And then she doesn't wear dangling earrings near her, so that's out too. So all she has left is noses."

Ella leaned her head against her mother's shoulder and smiled.

"Do you want anything to eat, Alexis?" Betty asked. "We were planning on having dinner soon, if you want that. Or you can feel free to just crash on the couch or in the guest room."

"I think I'm just going to lie down for a while. Do you know when Mom will be home?"

"Alexis, she's on a date," Daniel said. "Who knows when she'll be back?"

"Mom is dating again? That's just weird."

Betty smiled and Daniel laughed. "She's been dating again for a while now."

"She is a free woman," Betty said. "Your dad has been gone for quite a while now."

"But it's my mother! Do you know how weird it is when your mother goes out on dates and you aren't going out on dates?"

"No, but I know what it's like to have my dad going out on dates."

"Oh, we're used to that," Alexis replied. "Our dad really didn't do the whole fidelity part of marriage."

Betty laughed and Daniel smirked. "This is not a case of like father, like son," he said pointedly. "I do know what fidelity is."

"See, Ella? I told you Daddy still knew some of his SAT vocab words he needed for getting into Harvard."

"SAT vocab words?" Alexis asked.

"We were discussing them yesterday when someone was using big words," Daniel said.

"Ah ha," was all his sister said.

* * *

Sunday was Ella's first birthday and her parents threw a small party to celebrate. Ignacio, Hilda, Justin, Claire, and Alexis represented the baby's family. Christina, Amanda, and Marc were also in attendance along with Becks and a few other close friends. Amanda and Christina kept Ella dressed like a princess while Justin tried to keep her wardrobe as bright and be-dazzled as humanly possibly. Most of his be-dazzled baby clothes found their way to charities looking for baby clothes, if Daniel didn't think they were too hideous, or to the trash if he thought that no one should have to wear them.

DJ had sent his little cousin a few items of clothing that had French words on them. He had spent part of Christmas trying to teach the then-ten-month-old infant how to speak French. She had been more interested in shoving her fists in her mouth. In addition to clothes, Ella had also acquired some board books, which were crucial because she was interested in shoving everything she saw in her mouth, not just her fists.

And when she saw her birthday cake, she immediately started shoving that in her mouth, not to eat, but just to see what it tasted like and then throw it back on her plate, or at one of her parents. "She's a messy little girl," Alexis commented.

"She loves to throw things," Ignacio remarked. "Betty and Daniel have said that she's always trying to throw food at them. And last week, she threw part of a tamale at Justin. But then she tried to share the rest of her tamale with him as a peace offering."

"Very sweet," Alexis replied.

"Oh, she's a sweetheart. She just has a bit of a temper attached to that."

"Well, she is half-Suarez," Justin said. "And then the Meade family isn't exactly known for being calm and sedate."

Daniel looked at his fiancee's nephew. "We're calm and sedate, unless we're provoked. Your aunt doesn't need provocation to lose her temper or to become emotional. I'm much calmer than she is."

"You're yin and she's yang," Justin said.

Daniel shrugged. "Something like that, I suppose. I just know we work very well together."

"And you have an adorable baby who never wears the clothes I make her."

"Justin, she has so many clothes. Christina makes her things. Designers give us things. Amanda gives us things. One very little girl has a lot of clothes."

"But I love bedazzling clothes for her."

"I know. But Betty and I aren't really big on clothes that say 'Baby DC' in rhinestones. We really love the thought behind them but that's not really our style."

"What do you guys like for her?"

"Just think about what you see her wearing on a daily basis," Daniel told him. "That's what we like her in."

"So I should just buy herself instead of making it for her? But that's no fun!"

"But it's too cold outside right now for her to wear most of the things you make her. She needs warm clothes for a New York winter. I can't have her running around in bare legs and arms. She'll freeze to death. Or someone might steal her away from me."

* * *

"You're really lucky," Alexis told her younger brother that evening. "You've really got the perfect life right now."

Daniel smiled and looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms. "I don't know if it's perfect. But it's more than I could have ever hoped for. I've got the best girl I could have ever imagined and this amazing baby girl who just makes my life worthwhile."

"When did you become this guy?" Alexis asked. "When did you become the family man who would get married and have children?"

"I think you mean what made me into the guy who would get his girlfriend of a few months pregnant and then actually do the honorable thing and take responsibility for it? Alexis, you have to realize that I started dating Betty in like May or June and got her pregnant in July. That's not exactly honorable or something a good guy would do. But I am taking responsibility for my actions."

"And that's impressive," his sister told him. "I don't know if I would have thought you capable of doing that."

"But apparently I am," he said, stroking his sleeping daughter's soft head.

"And I'm proud of you for that. I don't know that I'm that altruistic yet."

* * *

"You're far more altruistic than your sister gives you credit for," Betty told her fiancé later that night when they were both in bed.

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I try," he told her. "I'm really trying to be a man who is worthy of you."

"You're doing wonderfully at it. You're claiming responsibility for a baby who is not yours."

"And in the process, I've discovered how much I love you and I'm getting to marry you and build a family with you."

"You know, I think I love you."

He smiled and kissed her. "I think I love you too."

"Call me crazy but I think that's a good thing."

Daniel laughed. "It's a very good thing. We're getting married. We have a daughter together. And it's Valentine's Day. I'd say we're doing pretty well for ourselves."

Betty smiled and kissed him. "I think we're doing very well for ourselves."

* * *

A/N: Please review! I hope you like it!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_ but I do love my reviewers! Please keep reviewing.

* * *

Daniel Meade was not stupid. He knew that people had been whispering about his relationship with Betty for a long time. They'd been together (publicly) for about a year and a half. They were engaged. They had a daughter. Most people hadn't initially known what he saw in her. But after her make-over, people started wondering what Betty saw in Daniel. She had once joked that it was the simple fact that he was the father of her child. But people who knew Betty well knew that it was much more than that. There was some sort of emotional or intellectual connection between the pair that was just undefinable. They had a natural chemistry or flow. Daniel was a natural father with Gabriella. But he also had such a natural flow of chemistry with her mother. She was smart and sassy and fun to be with. Daniel didn't have to act with Betty. If he wanted to be a dork, he could. He could argue with her over who had control of the remote and he was getting pretty good at beating her at Scrabble, a game he'd barely been interested in only a few years earlier. Daniel was growing up, whether or not Becks and others liked him. He didn't need Miss Monday or Miss Thursday anymore. He had one woman for every day of the week and that was finally enough for Daniel Meade.

"Sophia Reyes is single again," Amanda told Betty one morning when she walked into the _Mode_ offices. "And apparently, she's looking for a man with a lot of power and money behind him."

"She's been having problems at _MYW_ for a while," Betty replied. "If she's interested in making a play for Daniel, it's only because she needs the help for her magazine."

"Does she think that he'd take her back after what she did to him anyway?" the gossipy receptionist asked. "She dumped him on national television. Besides, he's got you now. What does he need with her?"

Betty shrugged. "Sophia has always underestimated Daniel Meade. She looks at him like he's a ditzy fifteen-year-old girl with a crush on the starting quarterback. She doesn't see the whole person."

"Tom Brady is one steaming quarterback."

"Well, Daniel is all the man I'll ever need," Betty replied with a smile.

"You're lucky. You've got the hot guy and the cute little baby. And now you're getting married, which just makes it all official and beautifully real."

"I know. I still can't believe it's all real."

"I can't believe Daniel Meade actually took responsibility for his actions and is marrying the mother of his child."

"He's grown up since he came here."

"Are you talking about me again?" Daniel asked coming up behind his fiancee. "I feel like people are always talking about how they never would have guessed that I'd actually go through with it and marry the mother of my child. Of course, I'm marrying her. It's the mature, responsible thing to do."

"Exactly," Amanda said. "You're Daniel Meade. I mean, let's face it; you're not exactly known for being the most responsible guy in town. You used to have a different model for every day of the week. I'm amazed you've never had a kid before Ella, although there was that scare with your nephew."

He shrugged. "I guess I grew up at some point. I guess I had to when I realized that I might be DJ's dad. And then when I was really going to be a father, I had to grow up. I had to be there for Ella and for Betty. And in the process, I grew up and fell in love."

Betty smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I really like this guy," she said, looping her arms through his.

Amanda smiled as she watched Daniel kiss the top of his fiancee's head. She was used to their relationship, their little displays of affection and their largely unspoken devotion to each other. Their secret smiles and their public laughter were commonplace around the _Mode_ offices now. Daniel wasn't afraid to sneak up on Betty and kiss her cheek when he had to walk through the beauty department. Betty wasn't afraid to interrupt Daniel's meetings and make sure he ate. And they were both always slipping away to the employee daycare on the second floor to go see Ella. It was no secret that Betty's pregnancy had cemented her place in Daniel's life. She might have started out as his assistant and his best friend. But then things started becoming something more. Things had been, according to Daniel and Betty, casual enough at first, just a few dates and then some playful romps in the sack after Betty had broken up with Jesse. But then came an unplanned pregnancy, a surprise. And Daniel hadn't freaked out and mailed Betty off on a free trip to Bora-Bora. He'd asked her to move in with him and made her a part of his life. He was raising his daughter instead of just setting up a trust fund for the baby and never acknowledging her existence again.

* * *

"Daniel, how would you feel about having another baby?" Betty asked him as they watched _Good Will Hunting_ that night.

He looked at her, surprise spreading over his face at her abrupt question. "Are you pregnant?"

She shook her head. "No, but I was thinking that Ella is fifteen months old, and we're getting married next month. It might to be time to think about having another baby. We could have a baby that's really and truly entirely yours and mine. No one else would be involved in the creation except the two of us. And I think it would be good for Ella to have a sibling. We don't want to spoil her rotten or anything."

He nodded and shrugged, putting an unsteady hand on her flat belly. "It would be nice to have another baby. But I thought we agreed we were going to wait until after we got married."

"Honey, babies take nine months to grow. We would be good and married by the time the baby was born. And I'm the one who has to do most of the work during the pregnancy. I'm the one who has to get fat."

He smiled. "You're not fat when you're pregnant; you're just pregnant."

"That's easy for you to say. It's not your body."

"No, but you're my fiancee so I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about. I lived through your last pregnancy. I know what you looked like. I was there when you gave birth."

"So would you be open to another baby?"

He nodded. "Sure, but I thought we wanted to wait until after the wedding."

"We can, if you want. But I'd like to start at least planning now."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I'm worried that I might have trouble getting pregnant after all the complications from Ella's birth."

"The doctors said you'll be fine to have another baby."

"I know. But what if I'm not fine? What if there are complications again? What if we have another premature baby?"

"Babe, you can't live your life asking 'what if' all the time. You just have to take the risks."

She sighed. "I know. But this is scary. This is bringing a human being into the world. I don't want to mess anything up."

"I know. But Ella is a perfectly normal baby now. Forget about adjusted age; Ella is a normal fourteen-month old baby who is learning to walk and talk and get into all kinds of trouble. She's doing beautifully. And just because Ella was premature doesn't mean that our next baby will be. Come on, Betty; this time you're dealing with my sperm, not Jesse's."

She smiled. "Our baby," she said. "It won't be you just in name and spirit; it will really be your baby."

"I've always wanted to be a dad."

"You're Ella's daddy."

He smiled. "I know. And we can have more babies; Ella cannot be an only child. I wasn't. You weren't. Our daughter won't be."

"Did you know that they say that youngest children don't play well together?" she asked him suddenly. "We're both youngest children and we seem to playing together quite well."

"We are getting married. That's generally a sign that people play well together."

She smiled. "I get to spend the rest of my life with you."

"That is the general idea behind marriage. It's kind of one of those 'now, always, and forever' things in life."

Betty kissed him. "Daniel Meade, I'm so proud of you."

"Why?"

"You're getting married and thinking of it as a lifelong commitment."

"Okay, so I've grown up. Is it really such a big deal?"

She shrugged. "I think so. But I remember the guy who was trying to get me to quit my job just because I was ugly."

"Okay, I grew up. And it was impressive."

* * *

A few weeks later, Daniel walked into his office to find his fiancee there with their daughter. Ella was tentatively holding on to a chair while her mother knelt on the floor a few feet away. "Come on, Ella," she said. "Just come to Mommy. You can do it."

He smiled as he watched as his daughter slowly extended one leg and then put her little foot down. "You can do it, Ella," Betty said. "It's just a few steps. Come here, sweetie."

Ella slowly let go of the chair leg and took another step. Daniel took a deep breath as he watched as she took a few small, tentative steps until she had crossed the space between the chair and Betty. "You did it!" Betty exclaimed as her daughter stepped into her arms. "You walked by yourself. Daniel, did you see her? Our daughter can walk."

Daniel ran to them and kissed Ella and then Betty. He took his daughter from her mother's arms and then kissed her again. "You're walking, Ella-belle! You did it. I'm so proud of you."

"Da-da," she said, wrapping her chubby little arms around his neck and leaning her head of dark brown hair against his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair.

"Betty, you do realize that this baby is entirely yours. There is nothing in her of anyone except you."

Betty smiled and shook her head. "You're just saying that because you're biased."

"Nope, I see nothing of her father in her. She's absolutely perfectly beautiful, just like you."

"Daniel, you know that someday we'll have babies who are made of both of us."

"We'd better," he replied, kissing her cheek. "I really want to have many more moments like this."

"How many kids do you want?"

He shrugged. "Four or five, I guess."

"Does that include Ella?"

Again, Daniel shrugged. "I'd say six would be our absolute max."

"Six? I'm not getting pregnant six more times."

"You'd only have to get pregnant five more times, at most."

"I want a blue-eyed daughter."

"We could say we'll keep having kids until we have a daughter with blue eyes or six kids, which ever one comes first."

She smiled and laughed. "Six children, including Ella, is our max."

"We have a plan," he told her. "Ella, we have a plan."

"Da-da," she replied.

Betty laughed. "We really have an amazing family."

"I'm glad I'm marrying you."

* * *

Daniel and Betty got married about a month later, the last weekend of January. Their wedding was in the backyard of the Meade family summer home in the Hamptons. It was a small ceremony, with just friends and family. Daniel had DJas his best man and Hilda was Betty's maid of honor. Daniel wore a simple dark gray suit with a white shirt and a navy blue tie while Betty wore a white dress that Christina had designed for the occasion. Ella was supposed to sit with one of her grandparents during the ceremony but when she saw her father walk out and stand in front of the minister and the floral arch, she hopped off her grandmother's lap and ran to her father. Daniel picked her up and held her on his hip throughout the fifteen-minute wedding ceremony. And when her parents kissed after being pronounced husband and wife, Ella insisted on kissing them and being kissed as well. "She's so adorable," Amanda gushed after the ceremony. "And you guys are finally married."

Daniel kissed Betty's cheek and she beamed. "Mine!" Ella announced, from her mother's arms. "All mine!"

Betty smiled up at Daniel who was laughing. "We won't be all hers for long," she whispered in her husband's ear. She took his hand and put it on her stomach. "We've got someone in there who will be making an appearance in early February."

His grin only grew and he kissed her again. "Me! Me!" Ella said, reaching for her father's face.

Daniel obligingly kissed his daughter's cheek before looking back to his wife. "Give her to me then."

Betty handed Ella over. "Are you ready for this?"

He smiled. "I think so," he told her. "And even if I'm not, we're married and we have Ella already. And now we'll have another baby on the way."

"We're really building the Meade empire now," Betty said.

Daniel smiled. "I'm going to be a father again. When are we going to tell people?"

"Later," Betty replied. "Let's enjoy our wedding day for now. We'll start telling people about the baby when we've been married for a couple of months."

"I have to keep a secret for a couple of months?" he asked.

"Sweetie, I know one secret that you've been keeping for a couple of years."

Daniel looked at Ella in his arms and smiled. "But this is a great secret. It's just so exciting."

She leaned her head against his chest and smiled. "I know, but you have to keep the lid on it for a while. Let's handle one big moment in our lives at a time."

Just then Becks came over to the happy couple. "Man, you're really settling down here," he said. "You're married. You've got a kid. When did all of this maturity come into your life? You used to be such a laid-back fun guy."

"Well, now I'm fun husband and father," Daniel told his best friend. "I happen to enjoy being Daddy."

"Okay, but you're never up for any of the stuff I want to do anymore."

"I'm not going to strip clubs when I have a wife at home who is much better than any stripper or hooker. And I'm a dad; I have responsibilities." He kissed the top of his daughter's head and smiled. "I love my life. It might not be as dramatic as your life. But I always know who is waiting for me at the end of the day. I always know that when I go home, Betty and Ella will be waiting for me."

"Well, Betty," Becks said. "It looks like you're stuck with this loser."

Betty held up the hand with her wedding band glittering from her ring finger. "I think I'm actually stuck with him legally. But it's okay. I know how to manage him."

"Well, if you ever get tired of him, I can find things to do with him. And there is always divorce."

"You're out of line," Daniel said slowly but firmly to his best friend. "You're completely out of line now."

Becks threw his hands up in the air. "Sorry, dude; I didn't mean to ruffle anyone's feathers. It was just a joke."

"It's not a funny one. And it's not appropriate for a wedding. You were my best man after all. I thought you supported me."

"Well, she is hot."

"She is also the mother of my child," Daniel replied. "And that is far more important. Betty and Ella are my number one priorities now. I'm a husband and a father before I'm anything else, including your friend."

"Betty, I think you've got a keeper here," Becks told her. "I don't understand why you two got married but right on. Have a great life with this one."

"Thank you," she replied. Once Becks was gone, she kissed her husband's cheek. "Ignore him, Daniel. He's just a jerk."

"He used to be my best friend. But now, he doesn't even understand why I'm getting married. When I told him that you were pregnant with Ella, he couldn't believe that I was staying with you. He told me that I had all the money I could ever want and I should just give you enough money to support yourself and the baby; then we could all get on with our lives without any more complications or problems. I punched him for it. Ella might make our life more complicated but she's not a problem. She's my daughter and I love her. I'm being responsible. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I like being a father. I love holding her in my arms and kissing her good-night and watching her experience the world for the first time. Becoming a father has been great for me."

"Aren't you glad we had drunken, unprotected sex in your office after work late one night?"

He laughed. "Our bed is more comfortable. But my office was great for a drunken fling."

"I thought we had been technically dating when we had that drunken fling."

"Oh we were dating. But the first time we ever had sex together, we had both been working late on a magazine layout and we got drunk and had sex on the couch. Then we kept dating. Six weeks later, we found out that you were pregnant. And from there we just kept dating and got more and more serious about each other."

"And now we're married and we have Ella."

He smiled. "The story would be more fun if our drunken fling had been while you were dating Jesse and it made you realize that you weren't in love with him but you wanted to be with me. So you dumped him and we got together. Then we found out that you were pregnant with Ella. And then we moved in together."

"Don't make me sound like a slut," she replied. "It's my wedding day."

Daniel laughed. "It's my wedding day too."

"I know. But I'm not a slut."

* * *

Ella was supposed to spend ten days with her Grandma Claire while her parents went to upstate New York. "I just want to go some place quiet and relax," Betty told Daniel when they were planning the honeymoon. "I haven't been away from Ella since she was born."

"So we'll go away for ten days but we'll be close enough that you can come home to Ella if you want to or need to. But we're not bringing her on our honeymoon," he told her. "You need a break from being Mommy and just spend some time being Mrs. Daniel Meade."

"Daniel, this whole idea of spending the honeymoon with me just being your wife and not being mommy would have worked better if I weren't pregnant," Betty told her husband as she sat on the bathroom floor the second morning of their honeymoon. She'd been throwing up almost non-stop since they had gotten to their hotel.

He sat down on the floor next to her and put his arms around her and held her shaking body against his bare chest. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

"I just want to go home and sleep in our bed. The only positive to being here is that we don't have to take care of Ella and deal with me throwing up constantly."

He nodded. "You weren't this nauseous before the wedding."

"Yeah, but things can change at different points in the pregnancy. I don't know why but it's getting worse now."

He kissed her cheek and held her closer to his chest. "I'm really sorry that you're going through this. If you want to go home, we can. I'm sure my mom will still keep Ella for a while if you want."

"That might be a good idea," she said, leaning her head against his chest. "It's only six o'clock in the morning and we're both awake because of my damn morning sickness."

Her husband ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Betty. Whatever needs to be done, I'll do it. If we need to go home, we can go home."

"Can we go home?" she asked in a soft, tired voice.

Daniel kissed his wife's cheek. "Yes, you go rest and I'll start packing."

She kissed his cheek. "Thank you, sweetie."

"Of course," he replied. "But please brush your teeth."

"You're a horrible husband."

He looked at her. "I marry you. I get you pregnant. And this is the thanks I get from you? You call me a horrible husband. Darling, we've only been married for two days."

"You told me to brush your teeth."

"You've been throwing up for twenty minutes. Your breath stinks. I'm your husband; I've lived with you for close to two years. I'm allowed to say things like this to you."

Betty laughed when he said that. Their whole relationship, their whole lives had changed in the past two years. Less than two years earlier, Daniel had told his best friend that she could come live with him and he would help her raise her then-unborn daughter. He'd faithfully stood by her side through her pregnancy and in the process they'd fallen in love. And he hadn't gone anywhere when Ella showed up seven weeks early. He was still there, holding her up and supporting her when she grew weak. When she was tired or stressed, Daniel simply helped her, doing whatever she needed him to do. He was a devoted, dutiful, loving father to Ella and he'd fulfill the same role in the life of the small baby growing in her still-flat belly. He'd married her out of love and out of a desire to complete their family. When Bradford Meade had hired her six years earlier, there was no way she could have foreseen this future. She was married to Daniel Meade, they had a daughter together, and now she was pregnant with their second child. She took his firm, steady hand and put it on her still-flat stomach. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear. "Thank you for loving me, for loving Ella. Thank you for everything."

"It's my pleasure," he replied, helping her to her feet. "Now, I'll get us packed up while you take a nap. Then we'll head back to the city and you can rest in your own bed."

"I'm sorry we're not having much of a honeymoon," she told him as they walked to their bed.

He shook his head. "It's completely fine. I don't care where I am as long as you're there. And there will be other trips, other chances for us to be alone together. Right now, the most important thing that is you take care of yourself and our baby. I'll get us back to the city; you just take care of yourself and the baby. My mom and DJ are both more than willing to help us with Ella when we get home."

"Do you think Ella will be happy to be a big sister? She won't try to sell the baby or anything, will she?"

Daniel smiled and settled his wife on the bed. "Did Hilda try to sell you?"

"Anyone who came over to our house when I was baby, she'd try to sell me or just give me away. She made it clear that she wasn't interested in being a big sister. She wanted to be an only child."

"Alexis was the same way," he told her. "She, then he, told my parents that I was useless and they didn't need me when they had her."

"She was wrong," Betty said, running her fingers through his hair. "You're wonderfully useful. You love me. You love Ella. You love the new baby. And you pay for my health insurance."

"I'm glad I'm useful for something," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"Oh, you're useful for many things," she replied with a smirk.

"Get some rest and I'll wake you up when we're ready to go. You can wear your pajamas in the car."

She smiled and snuggled up against her pillow. "I love you, Daniel Meade."

"I love you too, Betty Suarez-Meade."

"That's Betty Meade to you," she told him.

"I love you, Mrs. Meade."

* * *

Betty's morning sickness persisted over the next several days and weeks. Every morning, she woke up woozy and nauseous. And all she could keep down was saltines and chicken broth. Daniel found himself being both mother and father to an Ella who just wanted to "hep Mommy det bet-tah!" Unfortunately, Betty was only really up for watching movies and sleeping.

"It was never this bad with Ella," Daniel said as he sat down next to his wife one night. She was in bed after spending most of the day throwing up. She could barely stand due to dizziness. "You were never this sick. You could still work. Now, you need help making it to the bathroom. I really think you should see the doctor about this."

"It's just morning sickness. It'll pass."

"Honey, this isn't morning sickness. You're not just sick in the morning. You've been sick all day, every day for two weeks now. It can't be good for you or the baby. You're getting dehydrated; I really just want you to at least call Dr. Murphy's office tomorrow morning. If you don't, I will."

"Jerk," she replied, throwing her pillow at him.

"Just call him, please. I want a healthy wife and baby. You can't get sick and die and leave me alone with Ella."

"You're being overly dramatic. Now, can I please have my pillow back?"

"Only if you promise to call Dr. Murphy," Daniel told her, hugging her pillow and inhaling her scent.

"Fine," she moaned, stretching out a weak arm. "I'll call him when I wake up tomorrow morning. Now can I have my pillow back?"

He handed it back to her and then kissed her forehead. "Just get better, Betty. I love you and I want you and our baby to be safe and healthy."

"I'm pregnant," she said. "I'm really pregnant with your baby."

"Now take care of yourself. I want a healthy wife and baby."

"You're pushy, Mr. Meade."

"I know," he replied. "It's part of my job description as your husband."

"I'm married and pregnant," she said. "Life doesn't get much better."

* * *

A/N: Please review.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I do not own _Ugly Betty_. And I absolutely adore people who review my stories. You guys are really what keeps this story going...especially when they don't air new episodes of _Ugly Betty_ and instead air not-new episodes of _Scrubs_.

* * *

DJ baby-sat Ella while Daniel took Betty to the doctor the next morning. The doctor informed Betty that she was dehydrated, which didn't surprise Betty or Daniel. "Ms. Suarez, I'm going to put you on an IV at least once a week until things improve. And I'm going to be monitoring you and the baby much more closely. You're losing weight and while the baby is fine right now, we want to keep an eye on you two. I may have to check you into the hospital."

"Is there something you can give her?" Daniel asked, nervously. "Isn't there some kind of medication or a protein shake or something?"

"I can and will put her on a medication for her morning sickness," Dr. Cunningham told him. "But if worse comes to worse, I won't hesitate to hospitalize your wife, Mr. Meade. I'm sure you understand, especially considering the circumstances of your first child's birth."

Daniel nodded, remembering all too clearly the night and circumstances of Gabriella's birth. "Just take care of my wife and keep her and my baby safe and healthy."

He smiled at him. "I will. I know how important this baby is to the two of you."

Daniel smiled and kissed the top of his wife's head. "We're going to make it through this. You'll be fine and we'll have a beautiful, healthy baby."

Betty nodded and leaned against his chest. "I just want the baby to be all right. And I don't want you to worry. And I don't want to scare Ella. I just want everything to be all right."

"I know, sweetie. I do too."

"I'm just nervous about this. We had enough problems with Ella. We need baby number two to be normal and healthy."

"Ella is normal and healthy," Daniel protested. "She just insisted on coming seven weeks early and scaring her Daddy shitless. But we're all fine now."

Betty smiled and looked up at Daniel. "I'm just nervous."

"I know," he replied. "I am too. But we've been through a lot together already. We can make it through some really nasty morning sickness."

"I hate morning sickness," she said. "I hate that my body is reacting like this to the baby."

"Betty," her doctor said. "This isn't as uncommon as you might think. This happens to many women, especially when they're pregnant with multiples."

"Am I pregnant with multiples?" she asked suddenly. "I thought there was only one baby."

"The ultrasound appears to be showing two fetuses."

Betty looked at Daniel whose jaw had about hit the floor. "Twins?" his wife asked.

Dr. Cunningham nodded. "You're having twins in mid-February."

"Twins?" Daniel repeated. "We're having twins? I'm not sure I'm ready for twins."

Dr. Cunningham, an older doctor who was probably in his late fifties, smiled. "Son, I think twins are in your future whether or not you want them."

"Two babies, we're having two babies?"

Betty squeezed her husband's hand. "You were great with Ella. You'll be great with these two babies."

"But two babies, that's two babies to feed, two diapers to change; it's going to be different than just Ella."

"And you'll be great with them. Daniel, you're a great dad."

He smiled and looked at the ultrasound. "Well, I guess it's time to think about moving to a bigger apartment. There's no way that all five of us can fit in a three-bedroom apartment if DJ ever comes to visit."

Betty smiled and kissed her husband's cheek. "So you've accepted the fact that you're going to be the father of three come February?"

He nodded. "Just help her get over this morning sickness and I'll be more than willing to welcome two more babies in our lives."

* * *

"Twins?" DJ asked when his uncle told him that afternoon. "You two are having twins? How will Gabriella adjust to that?"

"I think she'll be fine with it," Daniel replied. "She's young; she adjusts to changes pretty easily still. Dr. Cunningham suggested buying her two baby dolls and calling them her babies to help her adjust. Having two more babies is not going to make us love Ella any less."

"Have you told her that Betty is pregnant yet?"

"We're waiting until Betty gets over her morning sickness. I also have a feeling that showing her 'Mommy's baby bump' will help explain things. If she can see the belly when we tell her that the babies are in Mommy's belly, it might help her a little. But she's only seventeen months old, so I'm not sure how much sense any of this will make to her."

"Are you excited about the babies?"

Daniel nodded. "I am. I love being a dad."

Just then Ella came toddling into the room looking for "Da-da." DJ laughed as his uncle picked the little girl up. She threw her chubby little arms around his neck and kissed him. "My da-da," she said with a very contented smile as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Daniel stroked his daughter's head and smiled. "I live for this," he told his nephew.

"How is Betty doing?" DJ asked.

"She's sleeping right now. But I think the medication should help her. And Dr. Cunningham gave her an IV this morning, which should help as well."

"Do you worry about her?"

His uncle nodded and bit his lip. "I love her and I love the twins. I want all three of them to be safe and healthy."

DJ smiled. "I'm jealous of Ella and the twins. They get to have you as a dad."

"Hey, I'm your cool, rich American uncle. You get to spend the entire summer with me. And next summer, you'll have three little cousins to play with."

* * *

"Are you serious about moving?" Betty asked Daniel that evening.

He nodded. "There are two bedrooms here. Right now, we have one and Ella has one. DJ sleeps on the couch when he visits."

"It would be nice to have more room especially for the kids to play in as they grow."

"We could think about moving out of the city," he said. "We could live in a real house and just commute into the city."

She leaned back into her pillows and shrugged. "It would be nice to get out of the city. But commuting would mean getting up earlier in the morning. And that would be rough on the kids. And we are not getting a nanny. I'd rather quit working and stay home and raise them myself than let someone else do that. At least right now I can see Ella during my lunch breaks. But I don't want to have my kids off with some stranger all day."

"Would you rather work freelance for Meade Publications and stay home with the kids during the day?" Daniel suggested tentatively.

"Would that be possible?" she asked.

"Of course," he said. "It would give you more time withe Ella and the new babies."

"We're having twins. Daniel, we're going to have twins in seven months."

He nodded. "I know. We're going to be responsible for two babies."

"I'm scared."

"You were fine with Ella."

"But you were there to help me."

"And I'll be there again. I'm your husband; I'm not going anywhere."

She sighed and leaned against his bare chest. "You realize that there are many perks to being your wife?"

"Like what?" he asked.

"I get to do whatever I want with you, whenever I want."

"That's dirty, Mrs. Meade."

"That's okay, Mr. Meade. You'll live."

He laughed and pulled her into his arms. "Betty, I love you."

"I love you too."

"And we'll be fine with three children. We're doing great with Ella and we'll keep doing well when the next two show up."

"We really need to move," she told him. "There's no way we can fit three children in this apartment. And I think I'll take you up on the offer to leave _Mode_ and just write freelance. Running my own magazine has always been my dream. But right now, I need to shelf that until my children are a little older. I need to be mommy more than I need to be the editor in chief of a magazine."

Daniel smiled. "And you can come back to _Mode_ whenever you want as long as I'm there."

She kissed his cheek. "You're a good boss and a great husband."

"I'm glad I'm a better husband than I am boss."

"I like you more at home than I do at work. At home, you're more relaxed; you're more yourself. You don't worry about budgets or Wilhelmina. You just worry about when to potty-train Ella and whether or not we need milk and eggs. You're less stressed."

He smiled. "Well, you're less stressed at home than at work too. But sometimes you get pretty stressed at home too."

"There's normally a reason why I'm stressed. I'm a wife and a mother. And I'm pregnant. It's not all easy."

"I know. I'm just telling you that sometimes you're stressed when you get home from work. But you're more stressed at work."

"We'll see if that still holds true when I'm eight and a half months pregnant with twins."

"You'll still be beautiful."

* * *

The medication helped Betty's morning sickness. She was able to go back to work and resume her normal life. She could play with Ella, who was thrilled to have Mommy back in active parenting duty. Ella may have been Daddy's little princess but there were some things that only Mommy could do. Daddy could take care of bath time but Ella would only go to sleep at night if Mommy tucked her in and gave her a good night kiss. She'd been very fussy about going to bed when her mother couldn't put her to bed. But now that Mommy wasn't sleeping all day, Ella was running and dancing around the apartment. She was climbing all over everything. And her vocabulary was growing by leaps and bounds daily. "I like you!" she announced when Daniel picked her up from day care one night in late August after DJ had gone home. "Daddy, I like you!"

Daniel settled his daughter on his hip and kissed her forehead before telling her, "I like you too. Now let's go downstairs. Mommy is waiting for us in the car."

"I love her."

"I love her too," the father told his little girl. "And I love you, Ella."

"Love you too," she whispered learning her head against his shoulder.

When they reached the lobby, they found Betty waiting for them. "Love you, Mamma," Ella said as she saw her mother.

Betty smiled and stroked the top of her daughter's hand. "I love you too, Ella-bella."

"Now home," the little girl demanded.

* * *

"How are we going to explain this to her?" Betty said to her husband that night after they'd put Ella to bed. Betty was standing in front of the bathroom mirror with her hands on her slightly swollen belly.

"We could tell her the truth, that Mommy is having a baby-two babies actually- and we're very excited about it," he said, coming up behind her and putting his hands on the soft swell that hid his two unborn children from the world.

"Daniel, she's eighteen months old. She won't understand that."

"What if we buy her two baby dolls and we name them and we tell her that your belly is going to grow and then eventually Mommy and Daddy are going to have two babies like hers?"

"We could try that. I honestly think we could tell her anything we wanted to but she's still going to be confused when the twins come in February."

He nodded. "Oh I'm sure she will."

"I just want her to love them."

"Betty, she's a little girl. She'll be fine."

"What if she doesn't love the babies?"

"She'll be two years old, sweetie. And this is Ella we're talking about. She loves everyone."

Betty smiled. "She also loves to throw things at everyone."

Daniel laughed, remembering numerous occasions on which Ella had thrown something at someone, usually food during a meal. She liked to throw her vegetables at her father. She also loved to blow kisses to people as apologies. And she loved to give people "tissies," or kisses as the rest of the world calls them. She was a very affectionate little girl and very fond of her parents and grandparents. She also loved Hilda and Justin and DJ. But she adored her grandparents, and Claire and Ignacio both adored her as well. She was always getting presents from them for no real reason other than they saw something that they knew she would like. Ignacio was enjoying having a grandchild who he wasn't helping to raise; he just got to be Grandpa. He got to hold her in his arms and kiss her. But when she needed a diaper change or he was tired, he could just hand her back to her parents.

* * *

Daniel still loved letting Ella fall asleep on his bare chest whenever he had the chance. He loved listening to her soft heartbeat and feeling her body against his chest. He loved knowing that she depended on him and she loved him and needed him. "She feels safe when she's with you," Betty told him once as she watched the little girl snuggle up against Daniel's chest.

He smiled and stroked his daughter's back. He had given Ella a bath and then put her in her pajamas. But then he just let her sleep in his arms instead of putting her in the crib. He'd had a long day at work and he just wanted to spend sometime with his daughter. So he was sitting with her on his bed while Betty folded laundry. He loved the fact that his wife didn't want domestic help in their lives. Life without a cook or a maid or a nanny was surprisingly simple and very much so what Daniel Meade needed in his life. He had always craved simplicity, especially the simplicity of Betty's life. And now it was becoming his life. He was learning to cook. Bradford Meade had probably never changed a diaper in his life and now his son was more than willing to do that chore. He'd been jealous of Betty when Ella was nursing because of the amount of bonding time they had together. But he had found his own ways to bond with his daughter. And moments like this, with her asleep in his arms, were perfect. "I feel like I'm really and truly her father when I have her like this," he told his wife.

She smiled as she folded Ella's onesies. "You're always really and truly her father."

It was September, the fourth month of Betty's second pregnancy and her belly was becoming more and more obvious to the outside world. She was wearing maternity clothes in public (and Daniel's sweats and t-shirts in private) and they had publicly released a statement admitting the pregnancy in mid-September. They were going to give Suzuki St. James an exclusive interview with them at some point during the pregnancy and then when the twins were born, they were going to do an exclusive photo-shoot for _Mode_ of the Meade family-Claire, possibly Alexis and DJ, Daniel, Betty, Ella, and the twins. Daniel had asked Becks to photograph the spread because "I want the whole thing to have a very intimate family feel to it and he's my best friend. He's the only one who can really capture the Meade family."

"What would you do if Jesse ever came back and wanted to be involved in her life?" he asked suddenly.

"Show him her birth certificate," Betty replied.

"But he could demand a DNA test and that would show the biological truth."

"Then I would ask him who had changed her diapers and been there for her first steps and first words," she told him. "You were there when I peed on the stick and when I was throwing up everywhere. You went to doctor's appointments and you were there when she was born. You were there for everything except the actual act of conception."

"But she has his DNA. Wouldn't a judge value that more than what I've done?"

Betty sat down next to her husband and looked at him. "Daniel, he willingly abandoned her. You've never abandoned her. He got me pregnant; you stuck around for everything else. You can't honestly believe that a judge would give Jesse any parental rights when all he ever did was get me pregnant and then break up with me."

"I don't know," he said. "I'm always worried that he'll take her away from me."

"I won't let him." She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "No one is taking Ella from you-ever. That's a promise. You're the father of all of my children as far as I'm concerned."

He kissed her forehead and then put his hand on top of her belly. "You're an amazing woman and I love you more than I could ever tell you."

She leaned her head against his shoulder and put her hand on her sleeping daughter's back. "You're pretty great yourself. And I don't know what I'd do or where I'd be without you."

"Hopefully, you'll never have to find out," he replied.

"I love you, Daniel. You're absolutely amazing."

"You're adorable," he told her. "I love seeing you wearing my clothes."

She laughed and kissed his cheek. "I love wearing your clothes. They're so comfortable."

He smiled. "Yeah, t-shirts that are about ten times too big for you and sweat-pants that are twice as big as you are, those are a great look for you."

"Oh shut up," she told him. "When you can get pregnant, you can complain. But until then, go shove it."

Daniel kissed the top of his wife's head. "I'm going to put Ella to bed now. But then we can argue."

She stuck her tongue out at him as he stood up and walked out of the room.

* * *

"I'm just saying that I would really like to have a son," Daniel told Betty as they sat in the exam room at the doctor's office about a month later.

"I understand that completely," his wife replied. "But I'm not sure I want to have twin boys."

"And I'm not sure I want twin girls. But I don't think we get a say in this anymore. I think we just get what is there. My sperm decided what we were getting back in May."

"Male chauvinist pigs," Betty mumbled.

Daniel laughed. "We don't even know what we're having yet and you're already calling my sperm male chauvinist pigs."

"Well, they didn't give my eggs any choice as to whether we were having a boy or a girl."

"They didn't give me any choices either. They just made up their own minds about the situation."

She smiled at that. And then Dr. Cunningham walked into the room. "So, are you ready to find out what you're having?"

"We need to know if he's a male chauvinist pig," Betty said.

"I think she wants to know if my sperm are male chauvinist pigs," Daniel rejoined.

The doctor laughed. "Well, we'll look and see what we can find out about that one."

"She doesn't want to have twin sons."

"They'd be a lot of work," Betty protested.

"Sweetie, twins will be a lot of work regardless of gender."

"Well, kids, it looks like you have a boy," Dr. Cunningham said, pointing to Baby A. "And he looks quite proud to let us all see his manhood."

Betty laughed and Daniel grinned before muttering, "That's my boy."

"And the other twin?" Betty asked.

"Baby B is a girl," the doctor told them. "You're having a boy and a girl."

Both parents beamed at that news; that was good news, a good compromise. "A son and a daughter," Daniel said. "They'll be a well-balanced team."

"Maybe they'll have blue eyes," Betty whispered. "I'm such a sucker for blue eyes."

Her husband laughed and the doctor smiled. "I think that's how you got into this," the doctor quipped.

* * *

"Now we have to name two babies," Betty said as they sat in the car on the way home.

"Well, I already have a nephew named Daniel, so we can only use that as a middle name."

"And we're still not naming any of our daughters after me."

"Well, that eliminates two names."

"And no Gabriella or Rosa," Betty reminded him.

"Great, we only have about a million more names to choose from," Daniel sighed.

"Well, at least we have four more months to think of names."

* * *

A/N: Please review! Let me know what you think.

And I also kind of already have names for the babies. I'm thinking of using Adam Daniel Meade for the boy and either Annabelle Claire or Naomi Claire for the girl.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. I do own Ella and the unborn twins. I adore my reviewers.

* * *

Daniel, Betty, and Ella moved into a new house just outside of New York City in mid-November. They enlisted the help of their friends and family to move as Betty was pregnant and Ella was too young to help. So Betty took her daughter to Claire's house and entertained her there while other people moved her furniture and belongings. She'd help Daniel unpack and organize later. But she wouldn't be much use during the process of actually moving things into the house. She and Daniel had made a floor-plan for where they wanted their furniture and he was going to make sure that the movers held to it.

Their new house was in Greenwich, Connecticut and it had four bedrooms and two bathrooms. There was plenty of room for Betty, Daniel, Ella, and the twins. And, at least for now, there was a guest room, which would be perfect for DJ. They knew they might need to move again someday but for now this house would work. And they had a good sized piece of property so adding onto the house was also an option. But they were trying to take things one day at a time. For the present, their focus would remain Ella and the twins.

* * *

When Betty arrived at the new house, all of the furniture was arranged according to her grids and the boxes were all in the appropriate rooms. "But now we actually have to unpack," Daniel said. His mother and Hilda had unpacked the kitchen and Ella's room as well as the bathrooms to give the couple a head start and to make the first night a little easier.

And indeed, it was much easier not having to dig through boxes for Ella's clothes or diapers when it was time to put her to bed. Daniel put his daughter to bed with minimal complaints, reassuring her that Mommy would indeed be tucking her in and giving her a good-night kiss "But you have to let me change you, Ella-bella," her father told her. "Mommy has had a long day and she's very tired. She's resting right now but she'll come to say good-night to you."

"Mommy is tired because of her babies?" Ella asked. At twenty-one months old, her vocabulary was pretty strong.

Daniel nodded as he buttoned up Ella's pajamas. "The babies and Mommy need to rest more as they grow."

"My babies don't make me tired," the little girl announced.

This only made her father laugh as he saw Ella's two dolls-one boy doll and one girl doll-sitting in her crib. "Your dolls aren't growing the way Mommy's babies are."

"Mine are nicer."

Daniel picked his daughter up and carried her to his own bedroom where Betty was sorting through a few boxes. "Mommy, we're ready for you to tuck Ella in."

"And den, you hassa do da same thing for Daddy," the precocious toddler told her mother.

"I always tuck Daddy in and tell him a bedtime story," Betty said as she stood up and followed her husband to the nursery. She read Ella her bedtime story, tucked her in, and gave her a good night kiss. Then, after Daniel gave the little girl a good-night kiss, they turned off the light in the nursery and went back to their own bedroom.

* * *

"I'm exhausted," Betty announced as she flopped on the bed. "And I'm unbelievably uncomfortable."

"The babies?" her husband asked sitting down next to her and exposing her pregnant belly so he could massage it.

She nodded and leaned back into the pillows as his fingers moved around her belly. "They've been moving and kicking a lot today. They make it a lot harder to chase Ella around."

"I'm sorry," Daniel told her. "But if it makes you feel any better, I spent most of the day telling people where to put things and moving things around. And Becks refused to listen to me whenever I told him where you wanted things. It was a lot like working with a two-year-old."

Betty smiled. "I hear you did the kitchen almost entirely by yourself."

"Who told you that?"

"My dad," she replied.

"Nah, he helped me a lot," he told her. "It was definitely a team effort."

"I'm still impressed. I actually love the way you organized the kitchen."

"I took pictures of the old kitchen in the apartment and tried to recreate it as much as possible."

"You're a sweetie."

"I'm just trying to get in your pants."

She laughed and put one of her hands on top of his hands on her belly. "Based on the evidence, I'd say you've been fairly successful at getting in my pants."

"Based on the fact that you're currently wearing my pants, I'd say I've had some measure of success in getting you out of your pants."

"Oh lord," she said. "Honey, you've had success getting into the pants of about half the women on the eastern seaboard."

"Don't remind me," he said, resting his head on her stomach and looking up into her eyes. "I'm a one-woman man now. I'm married. I have children. I don't need Miss Wednesday or Miss Friday anymore. I have Mrs. Betty Meade."

Just then, they both heard the door to their bedroom being opened and the sound of soft footsteps crossing the room. They looked up to see Ella approaching them with her blanket clutched firmly in one hand and a teddy bear in the other. "What's the matter, Ella-bella?" Daniel asked as he walked over to his daughter.

"I got scawed," she said. "I want sleep with you and Mommy."

Daniel sat down on the bed with his daughter in his lap but she quickly scrambled off his lap to snuggle up to the numerous pillows supporting her mother's back. She climbed under the blankets and curled up with her bear, Mr. Benjamin, and her blanket. "Sweetheart," Betty said, stroking her daughter's head. "You have your own room. You need to sleep there."

"I need you," the little voice replied. "Dat not my room, this house is different."

"This is our new house," Betty told her. "We're going to live here now."

"I need Mommy."

Betty sighed and looked at her husband. "She can stay tonight," he said. "But only tonight, after this she needs to get used to her room. I'll sleep on the floor of her room if she wants for a few nights but she needs to sleep in her own room."

"Daniel, she can climb out of her crib. She can't be sleeping in it anymore if she can climb out of it. She could fall and hurt herself. We need to get a new bed for her. We'll use her crib for one of the twins."

He nodded. "Okay, but she is not sleeping in our room forever, just until she has her own big girl bed."

* * *

"Daniel, we have a slight problem," Betty informed her husband one morning a few weeks later.

Her husband walked out of the bathroom and into their bedroom to find his wife lying in bed. "What's wrong? Is it the babies? Are you all right?"

She smiled. "The babies are fine. However, your blimp of a wife is so fat that she can't get out of bed."

He rolled his eyes. "You're pregnant, not fat. However, I am willing to help you get out of bed."

"I think it's all the cookies I ate last night," she told him.

"I think it's the fact that my son is in your uterus along with my daughter. And I was a ten pound baby."

"Oh great, you tell me this now, when I'm already pregnant."

"My mother could tell you more," Daniel replied as he helped his wife to her feet. "I had a huge head and she was in labor with me for sixteen hours. Alexis was twenty-nine hours; she wasn't ten pounds; she was only nine."

Betty smiled. "So you were the big baby."

"Oh, I've always been a big baby. I'm a wimp; you know that."

She laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Yeah I know. And you suck at fighting."

"What can I say? I'm a lover, not a fighter."

"You, sir, are beyond belief."

"I know," he said with a smile. "That's why you love me."

"Whatever, I need to pee. Your kids are on my bladder."

* * *

Ella's comprehension of what was going to happen was more than a little vague. In September, Betty and Daniel had told her that there were two babies growing inside of her mommy's belly who would be born near her birthday. Being that she was nineteen months old at the time, her comprehension had been about zero. She understood that she had two new baby dolls-a boy and a girl-and that her mommy's belly was getting bigger. She also knew that sometimes Daddy talked to Mommy's belly. And Mommy was tired more. Daddy made dinner more and Mommy slept more. And they were decorating one of the bedrooms for two babies. But as to whether or not she actually understood that in February her mother would go away for a few days and come home with a much smaller belly and with two new babies, no one was clear about that. Daniel didn't think she understood much of it but Betty occasionally thought that Ella got it when she would kiss her mommy's belly. But then Daniel had found Ella kissing the dishwasher, so he wasn't sure she really understood that her little brother and sister were in her mother's belly. But he understood his wife's desire to believe that their little girl would welcome her younger brother and sister with open arms, or at least a happy smile.

* * *

As her mother's belly grew, Ella grew fond of poking it and then laughing while her mother groaned. "I don't get it," Betty told Daniel one evening. She was resting on the couch and he was cleaning up after dinner while Ella ran around the house. She loved having a whole house to run around; it was much more exciting than her parents' old apartment. There were more things to see and more places to go.

"You don't get why she pokes you?" Daniel asked, scooping up his daughter from the floor. "She thinks it's funny. I don't know why she thinks it's funny but she does."

His wife shook her head. "It's weird. And it's not very comfortable especially for the babies."

"Mom and Amanda and Alexis have all been asking me if we have names for the babies yet."

"We have a name for the boy and we have a middle name for the girl."

"Adam Daniel Meade," Daniel said. "I really like that name. But I want our daughter's middle name to be a surprise for my mom."

"That's a good idea. And Claire is a great middle name. But our daughter needs a first name."

"I've told you before. I really like Naomi."

"And I've told you before that I prefer Annabelle."

"Betty, I call Ella my 'Ella-bella.' That will just get confusing if we have an Annabelle."

"But what about Naomi Campbell? Do you really want our daughter going through life with that association on her back? You're in fashion; you should understand that."

Daniel sighed. "Or we could come up with a third name that we could both agree on."

"But I like Annabelle!"

"And I like Naomi. And we can't keep fighting about this. So what do you think of the name Monica?"

"No," his wife replied flatly. "I don't like it."

"What about Alexandra?"

"Alexandra Claire Meade, it's a definite possibility. Write it down."

"I don't have any paper."

Betty laughed. "I feel like we've had this discussion before. You have to get things because you're not pregnant."

Daniel grabbed his wife's laptop off the coffee-table and opened a Word document to type up a list of three names: Annabelle, Naomi, and Alexandra. "Are there any other names you can think of right now?"

"Felicity," Betty said.

"We are not naming our child Felicity."

"But it's pretty, Daniel."

"And I don't like it. It's too out there. I don't want our kids to have the same names as everyone else but I don't want to name them things like Felicity."

She sighed. "Fine, okay, what do you think of Marina?"

"It's a possibility."

"What about Arianna?"

"I like it," he said. "It's different but could work well. I'll add it to the list. What do you think of Gianna? I know it's a lot like Gio but it's really pretty."

Betty smiled. "Put it on the list. I like it; it's a really pretty name."

"Should we just eliminate Annabelle and Naomi from our lists?"

She shook her head. "I see your point on Annabelle, so you can eliminate that one. But keep Naomi; it's growing on me."

Daniel grinned. "Okay, so far we have Naomi, Alexandra, Marina, Arianna, and Gianna. Aside from Naomi, I'd say we're going for an Italian theme."

"Take Marina off the list," Betty said, readjusting herself on the couch and making room for Ella next to her.

"Why? I thought you liked it."

"Marina Claire just doesn't sound right to me."

Daniel nodded and deleted it from his list. "Does anything else sound like it wouldn't fit with Claire?"

"I'm not sure. We'll have to test things out like we did with Ella."

"Naomi Claire Meade, what do you think of that?"

She shrugged. "It's better than Ursula Claire Meade."

Daniel shook his head. "Ursula was never on the list."

"Aren't you glad?"

"Okay, Mimi," Ella said to her mother's belly. "We need a talk."

"Mimi?" Betty asked her daughter. "Who is Mimi?"

"The baby," she replied. "Your babies are Mimi and Am."

Daniel smiled. "I think we have names for our babies then, Naomi and Adam. Ella has spoken."

* * *

Ella's second birthday was February 14 and Naomi and Adam were due on February 20. Because she was expecting twins, Betty was not expecting to make it to her due date. She knew that twins usually came a few days or weeks earlier than their due dates. So she arranged her life such that she would be free from work and deadlines after February 1. "It's about three weeks before they're due," she told Daniel in mid-January. "And so far they're looking like they'll make it at least into early February."

"Remind me that after they're born, I need to adjust my will," he said. "I'd really like to make sure that Ella, Adam, and Naomi are in my will; you're already in it, so is DJ and I think I have Ella in there now. But I want to be sure. And I'm going to set up trust funds for Naomi and Adam's education like I did for Ella."

"Daniel, are you afraid of dying before they graduate from college?"

He nodded. "I know that I have heart problems. My father had a fatal heart attack. Your dad has had a heart attack. I want to look out for our children. I want to know that even if I'm not here, they'll still be provided for."

She smiled and leaned back into her pillows. "You're a good man, Daniel Meade. You're a very good husband and father."

"I just want to know that you and the kids will be all right if anything ever happens to you. I love you. The four of you are my life. I need to know that you won't end up on the streets if I die."

"Please don't die on me, Daniel," she said, kissing his neck. "I need you. Our children need you. You can't just up and die on me."

"I promise you that I'll be here as long as I can."

"That's all that I ask," she told him. "I just want you to be here with me. You're a husband and father. I want to see you in those roles for many, many years to come."

"I plan on being here for many years. But I'm just planning for any unforeseen surprises."

She smiled and then moaned. "I hate heartburn."

"It's one of the side-effects of pregnancy, or so they tell me."

"It's one of the occupational hazards. But it's just so uncomfortable. Being pregnant is uncomfortable."

"You have two babies in your uterus, both of whom weigh at least four or five pounds. They're growing and moving and on top of your organs. It doesn't sound pleasant."

She laughed. "It's not. It's uncomfortable. I can't find a good position to sit in or sleep in. I don't want them to come early but I can't wait for them to be here with us instead of crushing my organs."

Daniel kissed his wife's cheek and then her stomach. "Listen up in there. I need you two to behave for your mother. She's had a rough go of it this pregnancy and I think she'd really appreciate it if you two could behave yourselves for the next few weeks. And if you could come near your due date, we'd appreciate that one too."

* * *

Betty wasn't sleeping well; she hadn't been sleeping well since about the sixth month of her pregnancy. But it worsened with each passing day. And this was starting to take a toll on Daniel. He wasn't sleeping well because he was worried about his wife and she was tossing and turning so much that it was hard for him to sleep. In February, Amanda started to notice things like Daniel's socks not matching every morning or he wouldn't have done anything to his hair after he got out of the shower; he just wore it the way it fell. One day, a client remarked to her on his way out of Daniel's office that "your boss might want to try sleeping more and spending less time out at the clubs."

"He's not out clubbing at night. His wife is eight months pregnant with twins and she isn't sleeping well, which means that he isn't sleeping well," was the secretary's defensive retort.

"He should try sleeping in another bedroom. That's what I did when my wife was pregnant."

"That isn't Daniel's style. He's a very hands-on husband and father. He likes to be involved. He wants to be there with her in case she goes into labor and he needs to take her to the hospital."

"Well, tell him he needs to find a way to get some sleep. He just looks painfully exhausted. It isn't affecting his performance but it's a little painful to watch."

Amanda sighed. "You try running a magazine, raising a two-year-old, and waiting for your wife to go into labor and see if you come out looking as fresh as a daisy."

The man sniffed at her and walked away. Amanda smiled to herself and looked at Daniel through the glass. He did look tired but she knew it was just pre-baby stress. He would be doing a lot better after the babies were born. He was worried about his wife. He'd be better once the twins were born. They might wake him up at night but he wouldn't be constantly worrying about Betty going into labor. He was still coming into work at eight o'clock every morning and staying until five o'clock. And then he went home to his family. He was a family man, a husband and father. He'd grown up a lot since coming to _Mode_. Marriage, Betty, and Ella; these had helped him so much. Amanda occasionally wondered if Daniel would have become this man without Betty and their daughter. She suspected that he wouldn't have. He had needed motivation and inspiration; in short, he had needed a reason to grow up. And Betty had provided him with that reason.

* * *

When Daniel pulled into the driveway that evening, he saw a small boy chasing a basketball. "Excuse me, mister, but my ball ran away," the little boy said. "I live next door."

Daniel picked up the ball and handed it to the small red-headed boy. "Here you go. Does your mom know where you are?"

The boy, who looked to be about six, shook his head. "No, she doesn't know that I'm outside. She's busy with my baby sister but I really wanted to play basketball."

"Well, why don't I take you home? It's late, cold, and dark. You really should be inside with your mom."

The boy nodded and Daniel followed him to the neighbor's house, which was several hundred feet away. When the boy opened the door, his mother came running to them. "Daniel Jacob Mariano, where have you been?"

"I was playing basketball," the boy said. "But my ball escaped and went to the neighbor's house. So I had to go get it. And this man told me I should go home."

The woman looked at Daniel Meade who was still standing on her front porch. "I'm sorry about my son. He's been really bored cooped up inside all winter and he wants to play outside."

"It's fine. I'm just glad I found him and his ball before they got too far away."

Daniel Mariano's mother smiled. "Thank you very much. I'm sorry; I'm Annabel Mariano. And you are?"

"I'm Daniel Meade. I live next door."

"Oh yes, you and your family just moved in. I think I've seen your wife and daughter around a bit. Your wife is pregnant and you have a little girl who is about two, correct?"

He nodded. "Ella is almost two."

"My son Peter turned two in November, around the time you folks moved in. We should introduce them sometime."

"I'm sure Ella would love that. She loves having people to play with."

"Well, we have four children, so I'm sure she'd be more than welcome to come over and play. Dan is six, Lucy is four, Peter is two, and Julia is about three months old."

Daniel Meade smiled. "We're expecting twins pretty much any day now."

"Your lives are about to get a lot more hectic."

"Oh, we know," he replied with a smile. "We're just not sure we're prepared."

* * *

"Do you ever think about Sofia?" Betty asked Daniel one night.

He laughed. "Honey, I see Sofia every now and then. We work in the same building."

"Does it bother you?"

"Does seeing her bother me?"

She nodded. "You guys were engaged."

"And now I'm married to you. I have a much longer history with you. I have children with you. I'm not going to dump you for Sofia."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what are you worried about?" Daniel was afraid of a thousand things ranging from Betty's insecurities about her looks to her (unspoken) fears that every guy in the world was really like Henry-a good guy but just not able to be there for the long haul.

"Sofia was the first girl you ever seriously fell for. She was smart and beautiful and all of these things that I'm not."

"That's bullshit," was Daniel's firm response. "That's a big load of bullshit. You are beautiful. You are insanely beautiful; I can't help but be attracted to you. You're smart; we both know that you're smarter than I am. And you are a much better person than Sofia could ever want to be.

"Daniel, you don't have to say this."

"Betty, you're my wife. I didn't just marry you out of duty or a feeling of responsibility. I married you because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He couldn't help but express the frustration that had been building for the past several years. He was sick of Betty's poor self-image, of all of the people who had told her that she wasn't good enough or pretty enough or smart enough; he just wanted her to know how beautiful she was, how much he loved her and wanted her. "I love you. You mean more to me than Sofia ever could. You are a better person than she is and I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our family. I want you. I want Ella. I want Adam and Naomi." He put a firm hand on her belly. "You're my life, my world. Sofia and everyone else who came before you, they can't compare with you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm not just saying things. I mean this. I really mean this. I love you. I love our children."

"I'm fat and ugly and gross."

"You're pregnant with twins, with my twins. I'm thrilled about this. And you're not fat. You've heard Dr. Cunningham; you're in great shape for being eight and a half months pregnant with twins."

She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Daniel, you're amazing. I don't deserve you."

"I'd argue with you but I'm not in the mood for anymore arguments tonight."

"Daniel, I love you."

He smiled and kissed her. "I love you too."

"I'm tired," she said then, leaning back into her pillows.

Betty fell asleep shortly thereafter. And then she started snoring. Daniel smiled to himself as he fell asleep with his arm wrapped around his pregnant wife. Ella was asleep in her room. They wouldn't have many more moments like these before the twins came.

* * *

A/N: Please review! And if you're wondering about the significance of meeting the neighbors, go back to the very, very beginning of the story. Peter Mariano is not going anywhere anytime soon. He'll be around for a long time.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. But I do appreciate all of the reviews that I've gotten. It really encourages me and reminds me why I write this stuff.

* * *

Daniel Meade was one of those men who really enjoyed being a parent. He liked coming home to Ella's eager hugs and incomprehensible babble at the end of the day. He liked holding his daughter or his pregnant wife, depending on the moment. There were even the occasional moments when he held both. But Ella was a very mobile toddler and didn't have much time for snuggling unless she was tired. And then she was the world's most lovey-dovey affectionate little girl. She was also a big fan of anyone who would play with her because she spent the whole day with her mother who was very pregnant and easily worn out. She loved having someone who would chase her around and laugh and tease her. That was Daddy's job. He wasn't pregnant with twins and tired. Sure he'd been at work all day but that wasn't like taking care of Ella and being pregnant.

* * *

On the evening of February 9, Daniel walked into his apartment to find Ella running around in circles while Betty tried to make dinner. He could tell that his daughter was underfoot and his wife was more than exhausted. So he told his wife to go rest until dinner was ready and set to work making dinner and supervising Ella who was more than willing to tell him about playing with Mr. Benjamin all day. She'd also gone next door to play with Peter for a while. Understanding the stress of pregnancy, Annabel Mariano had offered to baby-sit Ella for two or three hours every afternoon and Betty had been more than willing to accept. Ella was telling him all about playing with Peter and Lucy and their puppy.

Daniel was trying to listen and cook and not worry too much about his wife. He didn't know what labor looked like for Betty. She hadn't had a normal labor with Ella. Oh sure, he knew everything that What to Expect When You're Expecting said the signs of labor were. But he didn't know what labor would be like for his wife. This was her second pregnancy. But they had no previous experience with normal labor. What he did know was that Betty had looked unusually tired that night and she looked like she was in some degree of pain. But he didn't know what all of that meant for her. She'd been uncomfortable for weeks. He didn't know if she was simply uncomfortable or having Braxton-Hicks contractions or if she was in the beginning stages of labor. He did know that she had gotten much closer to her due date than Dr. Cunningham had ever guessed or imagined that she would. At her appointment a few days earlier, the doctor had admitted that he'd never expected Betty to get within a few weeks of her due date. And now she was only eleven days away from it. That almost never happened with twins.

* * *

Daniel put Ella to bed around eight o'clock and then went back to his bedroom. Betty was curled up in bed watching reruns of _Law and Order: SVU_, a show Daniel had barely been able to stomach before becoming a father and now, he couldn't handle it at all. He didn't like the idea that men did things like that to women. He just did not like it. "Can we watch something else?" he asked as he changed out of his suit and into his pajamas.

She nodded. "I forget you don't like it. Are you okay with watching _The Devil Wears Prada_?"

He smiled. "If you want to watch it, go for it."

She changed the channel and he impulsively kissed her. She smiled and snuggled up against his chest to watch the movie. However, she kept squirming and readjusting herself through the movie; her breathing also occasionally became more labored and intense but after a minute or two would ease.

About halfway through the movie, Daniel looked down at his wife. "Are you sure you're all right, sweetie?"

"I've been having contractions all day," she admitted. "But they're really far apart, so I don't think it's anything."

"Are you timing them?"

She nodded. "They're like fifteen or more minutes apart right now. But they're getting closer and more regular."

"Do you want me to call Dr. Cunningham?"

"Not yet, I don't think it's anything yet."

They finished the movie a little after ten o'clock and both went to sleep. About two hours later, Daniel woke up to his wife's gasping cries of "Oh my god, oh my god, Daniel, wake up!"

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"My water just broke," she replied. "You have to call Dr. Cunningham and find someone to watch Ella. We have to go to the hospital now."

He nodded and jumped out of bed, throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans while calling the doctor who promised to meet them at the hospital as well as his mother, her father, and then the next-door neighbor who was more than willing to come over and stay with Ella until Grandma Meade showed up to baby-sit. Once Annabel Mariano was there, Daniel and Betty took off for the hospital. Betty's contractions were now only five minutes apart and she was breathing rapidly. Daniel was driving as fast as he could, desperate to have his twins born in healthy and safe circumstances.

* * *

Around five o'clock in the morning, Dr. Cunningham informed Daniel and Betty that their wait was about to end. And sure enough a few pushes later, Adam Daniel Meade made his appearance at 5:14am. Twenty minutes later at 5:36 am, Naomi Claire Meade showed her face. Adam had blue eyes and dark brown hair; he weighed six pounds, 6 ounces and was twenty-two inches long while his twin sister with her dark brown hair and eyes, weighed in at six pounds, one ounce and was nineteen inches long. "They're perfect," Betty said as she held them both in her arms. "I just wish my mom could see them. She'd be so proud."

Daniel nodded as he watched his wife with their newborns. "They're ours, all ours. I really wish your mom could see them. She'd love them."

"Your dad would love them too. I know he'd be so proud of us."

"Well, your dad and my mom can see them."

"When is your mom coming?"

"When Ella wakes up," Daniel replied, stroking Adam's tiny foot. "When she wakes up, then she'll bring her over here and they'll both meet these two at the same time."

Betty smiled. "Can you please take one of them?"

Her husband smiled and immediately took Adam from her. "Hey, little man, I'm your daddy. You have two sisters and an amazing mother. But I'm your dad. We're going to be very close; that's my promise to you. I'm going to be a better father than my father was."

Betty smiled at her husband. "Adam is a lucky little boy. He has a father who loves him and an adorable twin sister."

"And an amazing mother," Daniel told her. "These two have an amazing mother. And they have a big sister who I'm sure will be a great big sister."

"You sound like a greeting card," Betty told him.

He laughed. "I'm not trying to. I'm just really happy to have a son. And I'm also really happy about Naomi. I'm a dad, Betty. I have three amazing kids. I didn't grow up in a warm, affectionate family. But I know that you did and it was great for you. I want our kids to have that. I don't ever want our kids to think that we love one of them more than the others or that we don't care about them."

"We won't be like your parents. I promise you that."

He smiled and kissed Adam's forehead. The little baby boy scrunched up his face and sighed. He opened his eyes for a moment and looked around before closing them again and going back to sleep. "He has blue eyes," Daniel said.

"But she doesn't," Betty replied. "We're going to have to keep trying for our blue-eyed daughter."

Around nine o'clock, Claire arrived with Ella. Daniel was very nervous about his older daughter's reactions to her two new baby siblings. He was also a little worried about the fact that Betty and the twins would be coming home from the hospital the day before Ella's second birthday. He really didn't want her to get jealous of her baby siblings. But when Claire brought Ella into her mother's hospital room, the first thing she noticed was Mommy and all she wanted was Mommy. So Betty held her daughter in her arms for a few minutes, hugging her and kissing her and telling her how much she loved her before Daniel introduced the subject of the two sleeping bundles in the bassinets. "Ella," Betty began. "Daddy and I want you two meet two very special people who are going to come live with us. Do you remember how Mommy kept telling you about the babies in her belly?" When her daughter nodded, the mother continued. "The babies aren't in Mommy's belly anymore. They're here, sleeping in their beds. Do you want to meet them?"

"Why?" Ella asked, clinging to her mother.

"They're your brother and sister," Betty replied.

"Mine? They're mine?"

"And Mommy's and Daddy's, but they're going to live with us."

"Where?" she asked.

Daniel picked Adam up and carried the baby to his mother. Betty took her son in her arms and let Ella see the baby. "Ella, this is your little brother, Adam. Adam, this is your big sister, Ella."

"I'm the big sister."

Daniel picked up Naomi and brought her over to the bed as well. "And this, Ella, is your baby sister, Naomi. Naomi, this is Ella."

"Hi, Mimi," Ella said peering down at the little red face in the blankets. "You can't have my dolls, Mimi."

Her father smiled and kissed her forehead. "I don't think Naomi is quite ready for dolls yet."

"Good," Ella replied happily, climbing into her father's lap so she could get a better look at her "Mimi."

Daniel pulled his older daughter closer to himself with one arm and held his newborn daughter in the other. "My beautiful little girls," he said. "I have three beautiful girls in my life. My Betty, Ella, and now Naomi, and I have a handsome son."

Betty looked down at her son in her arms and smiled. "I'm not pregnant anymore and that's something to be thankful for."

Claire laughed. "They're absolutely beautiful, Betty. I'm so happy for both of you, for all of you."

Betty grinned. "Thanks."

"Mom, would you like to hold your granddaughter, Naomi Claire?"

"You didn't name her that seriously, did you?"

Daniel nodded. "That's her name."

"Are you serious?"

"We wanted to honor you."

"I think I might cry."

Betty smiled at her mother-in-law. "Claire, we did it because we wanted to. We love you and we want your granddaughter to carry your name."

"That is the nicest, sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"We love you, Mom," Daniel said.

* * *

Betty and the twins came home from the hospital on February 13, when the babies were three days old. Now it was just Daniel and Betty "against" Ella, Adam, and Naomi. Sure, they had family members and friends coming over to help them. But it was intimidating especially because they knew that very soon the day would come when it would just be Daniel and Betty with their children. "I'm afraid of that day," Betty told Daniel the first night they were home. She was lying in bed feeding Naomi while Daniel burped Adam. "We have to feed and change and care for two babies and Ella. There are two of us and three of them. They could kill us."

"Honey, they're babies. They can't kill us."

"You don't know that."

"I'm taking at least the next two weeks off from work to help you out. Your dad and Hilda are also going to be over here helping you whenever they can. It may not feel like it but you can handle this. I'm sure of it. You handled Ella, didn't you?"

"Daniel, Ella was in the hospital for the first two months of her life. I have no time to prepare. I'm just diving into it."

"But this isn't your first time as a parent. You know what you're doing. You have experience with Ella. How different can Adam and Naomi be?"

"Adam's a boy," Betty replied. "That makes diaper changes completely different."

"Oh trust me; I know. I've already gotten nailed in the face once."

His wife laughed. "I'd recommend that you not change his diapers while you're wearing suits."

Daniel smiled and looked down at his son. "Adam, now I know that there are definitely some things about you that come from me and you're very proud of them. But the thing is that you have to be careful what you do with them. You can't ruin people's clothes. You also have to be a gentleman to your mother and sisters. I'm not going to let you act like a spoiled brat just because you're a Meade. That might have flown when your grandfather was alive but those days are over. This is the Daniel Meade era and Daniel Meade expects everyone to pull their own weight. You don't get your own magazine when you graduate from college or turn thirty or whatever my dad's rule was. You have to earn things in this family."

Betty laughed and looked down at the baby in her own arms. "You hear that, Naomi Claire? In this family, things are earned, not given."

"That's right," her husband said. "I think Ella understands that. She works hard to be cute and make me love her."

"Daniel, she's naturally cute. And she doesn't need to earn your love. You're her father; you're supposed to love her. It's a basic requirement of fatherhood; you have to love your children."

"I think I love you more after having seen you give birth than I did before. It shows me how strong you are. And seeing you as a mother blows my mind. You've never been this beautiful, this brilliant, or this sexy before. Marriage and motherhood, they become you; you were made for this."

She smiled and looked at Naomi in her arms. "I was never the one who wanted to get married and have a family. That was Hilda's dream. I never thought I was pretty enough. But then you came along and you wanted me, baggage and all. You took me as I was, including an unplanned pregnancy and failed previous relationships."

"But you also accepted all of my baggage when you got involved with me," Daniel said. "You accepted the fact that I had slept with more than half the women on the eastern seaboard and used to be the most notorious playboy in the city."

"I knew that you were more than that. You just needed direction and motivation."

"And then I met you, we had Ella, then we got married, and now we have the twins. I think I'm getting some purpose or direction in my life. I'm losing sleep. I'm always busy. And I have a son and two daughters. Oh, and I have the world's best wife whom I love more than you could ever imagine."

The supposed world's best wife smiled and kissed her husband's cheek. "Fatherhood becomes you, Daniel Meade."

"Thank you, Mrs. Meade. I enjoy it."

* * *

The July issue of _Mode_ featured a Beckett Scott photo spread entitled "The Dawn of a New Day in the Meade Empire." The spread was of the Meade family-Daniel, Claire, Betty, Ella, Naomi, Adam, and DJ; Alexis had opted against being in the shoot. But the four page spread, which had been shot at the Meade Mansion, featured some amazing shots of Claire and her four grandchildren, Daniel and Betty with their three kids, various arrangements of the kids, a few candid shots including an amazing one of Daniel lying on a couch with Adam sleeping on his chest while Ella sat by her dad's head and babbled away about playing at Peter's house the day before. (Peter Mariano was fast becoming Ella Meade's best friend in the whole wide world.) There were dozens of favorable letters to the editor after the spread appeared and even Wilhelmina had to admit that it was an amazing idea.

However, there was apparently one person who was not pleased by this photo spread as Daniel discovered when he walked into his office one morning in early July to find Henry Grubstick waiting for him. "When did you marry Betty?" Henry asked Daniel the minute Daniel entered his office.

"About a year ago," Daniel replied, walking to his desk to put down his briefcase.

"What gives you the right to marry her?"

"What gives you the right to ask me that question? You two broke up several years ago. She was single. I was single. We realized that we were interested in each other. We're married now. We have three children. But it's not really any of your business."

"How do you have three children if you only just got married a year ago?"

Daniel sighed. "Ella was born over a year before we got married. And then we had twins in February."

"You got Betty pregnant."

"That's generally where babies come from. I'd think you'd know that; you have a son yourself."

"Don't bring Aaron into this," Henry said angrily. "We're not talking about me. I'm a good guy. We're talking about how one of the most promiscuous bachelors in the world ends up marrying my ex-girlfriend who is, by the way, an amazing woman who deserves so much better than you and she's just settling by being with you."

"She willingly married me. I didn't force her to marry me."

"But she could do better than you. You get her pregnant out of marriage."

"And you've never done that before?" Daniel asked as he checked his email. "Yes, I got Betty pregnant but then I took responsibility for my actions. I married her and we're raising Ella together. And now we have two more wonderful children. No one was forced into any of this."

"But why did she pick you?"

"I don't know. But I do know that I'm amazingly lucky and I can't complain about this. I know that I've got an amazing wife who I don't really deserve and three wonderful kids. I know that I don't deserve this. But I'm working hard to be the best possible husband and father to this family."

"I just don't get it. She wouldn't marry me but she was willing to marry you."

Daniel shrugged. "I don't get it either."

"It's about adventure," Amanda said; neither of the men had realized that she was in the room until then. "Sorry, Daniel, I have some mail for you. But here's the thing. If Betty marries Daniel, there is adventure there; she doesn't know what will happen. But with Henry, she knew what would happen. She'd have to give up on her dreams. With Daniel, he lets her live her dreams."

"I would have let her live her dreams," Henry protested.

"You wanted her to move to Tucson," Amanda said. "Nothing against Tucson but there's nothing like Meade Publications there. Here in New York with Daniel, Betty has a great shot at being Editor in Chief of a magazine someday."

"I just don't like it."

Amanda shrugged. "But it's life, Henry. You're in Tucson being an accountant and Betty is in New York working as a freelance journalist and married to Daniel Meade. And she has three adorable kids. I think she wins. And so does Daniel. Now, if you'll excuse him, Daniel has a meeting with someone from Dior in about three minutes, so you'll have to leave."

As Amanda escorted Henry out of the room, Daniel smiled at Amanda's words but at the same time he felt badly for Henry. Henry had a child but had lost the woman he wanted in the process. Daniel, on the other hand, had the woman of his dreams as well as three children. But unlike most situations where Daniel had gained things that others had lost, this time money had not been the source of his advantage. This time, his advantage had come from his willingness to help his friend and his desire to be a good person.

And he had Betty and three amazing children. He honestly felt badly for Henry but was grateful for what he, Daniel, had.

* * *

A/N: Please review! I hope you liked it.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_.

* * *

Children grow quickly, as Daniel and Betty learned. Before they knew what was happening, Naomi and Adam were taking their first steps and saying their first words. And then Ella was three and starting preschool. And Daniel was starting to feel old. "My kids are growing up," he told Betty one night shortly after Ella's fourth birthday. "I have a four-year-old and twin two-year-olds. Everyone can walk and talk. It's weird. I'm not constantly carrying kids around or anything like that anymore."

His wife nodded. "I know. We're still changing diapers but that's getting less frequent. We'll have the twins potty-trained in the next several months. And then, they'll start preschool soon. Our babies are growing up."

"We could always have more babies," he said slyly.

She shook her head. "I'm not ready for that just yet. Soon, Daniel, but not just yet; I need some more time before I can handle anymore little kids running around. And I can't handle potty-training Adam and being pregnant. I could handle just Mimi but Adam is another story entirely."

Adam Meade was an energetic little boy who was always getting into something. He loved to eat play-doh or throw temper tantrums over nothing. He was truly his father's son. His twin sister, on the other hand, was calm and mild-mannered. Naomi could patiently sit and play for hours while her brother ran around throwing tantrums and crying over silly details. Many Saturday mornings, Daniel would come into the twins' shared nursery to find Naomi sleeping peacefully while Adam was playing or throwing something or just being a very dramatic little boy in general. Adam would frequently sit in his crib and sing to himself or talk to his teddy bears while his sister slept. Daniel always scolded his son and then removed him from the bedroom so that Naomi could keep sleeping.

"He is a handful," Daniel said. "I'm not quite sure how we managed to produce that little guy."

Betty laughed. "Daniel, he's your son. He is very energetic and outgoing like you. He likes to explore and learn and play."

"And he wants to be a spoiled brat."

"Sweetie, you were once a spoiled brat too."

He glared at her. "I can make you pay for saying that."

"What are you going to do to me?"

He smirked. "I know tricks."

* * *

Once a month, Betty took her father to see his cardiologist. While she did this, she left her children with their father. And he always did the same thing with them. He took them out to lunch at their favorite restaurant and then they went to play; in the summer, they went to Central Park and played. In the winter, he took them to play in his office.

Gio Rossi looked forward to Daniel Meade's monthly visits with his children. Ella and Mimi were both warm, bubbling sweethearts who constantly reminded him of their mother. And Adam was an energetic little guy who always had a story to tell that mostly consisted of "and then…and then" but Gio loved seeing them. So when Daniel Meade breezed into the restaurant with a stroller and Ella by the hand one Thursday that June, Gio rushed out of the back room to greet them. "Ella-belle!" he said, scooping the four-year-old off the ground and kissing her cheeks. "How are you, little lady?"

"I want to go pick dandelions in the park with Daddy," she replied tossing her head of long dark brown curls.

"And how are Mimi and Adam?" he asked her.

"Mimi is a good little girl. Mommy says that she's an angel. But Adam was being bad again. He likes to hit people."

"Who did he hit today?"

Daniel sighed. "He isn't hitting people today. He has been talking to strangers, trying to sell them Naomi."

Gio shook his head. "Well, he is industrious. I'll give him that."

"Yes, he can take over Meade Publications someday. But right now, he's a two-year-old trying to sell his twin sister. And that's not appropriate."

"Not at all," Gio said, tweaking Adam's ear. "I know from personal experience that you have to be nice to your sisters."

"Don't want to," Adam retorted. "I don't want sisters."

"Oh come on," Gio told him. "Sisters can be wonderful."

"You're a liar."

Daniel sighed. "We've been hearing this for about a week now, Gio. There's no arguing with the little guy."

"So should I just get your food ready and skip it?"

Daniel laughed and nodded. "That's your best bet. Adam likes to argue."

"So he's a Meade?"

"It seems that way."

A few minutes later, Gio came back with three sandwiches, four drinks, and two bags of chips. Daniel paid him and then settled down to eat with his children. A few minutes later, Gio came back and sat down to join them for lunch. "So how is Betty?" he asked.

"She's doing well," Daniel said. "I think the kids might drive her crazy some days. But overall, she's doing well."

"Good, do you two have any plans for any more kids any time soon?"

"Not right now, she doesn't think Adam would take it very well and I agree; I think we need to wait a little bit."

Gio made a face at Adam who was eating a sandwich while clutching an army man. Naomi was seated on her father's lap eating part of a sandwich and looking up at her daddy adoringly. Ella was leaning against her father and smiling contentedly. Daniel Meade was clearly an adored father. And he clearly adored his children as well; he was not a passive father. Gio had learned that this man genuinely loved his wife and children. He wasn't going anywhere, wouldn't be caught chasing any loose skirts running around Manhattan. He was one-hundred-and-ten-percent committed to his marriage and to his children. Daniel Meade was a family man. This never ceased to amaze Gio but he was learning to accept and appreciate a Daniel Meade who wiped ice cream off of dirty faces and comforted crying toddlers. This Daniel Meade willingly wore jeans that didn't have a designer name attached to them. "After all," he'd told Gio on a previous visit with his kids. "Why should I spend three hundred dollars on pants if someone is going to spit up on them or spill something on them? Hell, why spend that much money on jeans in the first place?"

Daniel currently had mayonnaise and lettuce on his pants but didn't seem to be minding too much. He was much more interested in his children and Gio. The two had become friends by accident. Shortly after Ella's birth four years earlier, Daniel had wandered into Gio's sandwich shop by accident. He was tired and stressed and in desperate need of food. And then he saw Gio behind the counter. Gio had been tense initially but he quickly recognized the stress and exhaustion in Daniel's eyes. The two began talking and as they talked, Daniel told Gio about Ella's birth and Gio listened sympathetically. They bonded then and Daniel Meade became a regular customer at the deli, often stopping in just to talk to Gio, who would always drop whatever he was doing to talk to his new friend. He loved seeing pictures of little Ella and hearing stories about it. And after she came home from the hospital, he was invited over to Daniel and Betty's apartment to meet the little girl. And of course, he brought sandwiches with him. When Daniel and Betty got married, Gio catered their wedding-his first real catering job ever. And Daniel kept bringing his children to visit Gio. The three little Meades adored him and were always eager for their monthly visits to see Mr. Gio.

* * *

Daniel Meade looked out at his backyard and laughed. It was a beautiful summer day and his five-year-old daughter was running around in the backyard with their puppy, Mira, and her best friend, Peter Mariano. Ella was wearing her favorite dress, a light pink sundress, and her hair was in two pigtails. "She looks so happy," Annabel Mariano said as she walked out onto the back porch followed by her three-year-old, Julia, and Naomi Meade. Naomi's hair was in two cute little French braids and was wearing a bright blue sundress.

"She's such a happy little girl," Daniel replied, scooping up Naomi who just wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"You need to shave, Daddy," she announced. "Your face is hairy."

He laughed and rubbed his stubbly face against her baby-smooth one. "I know. But you know what? It's Saturday and I don't have to shave on Saturdays."

"Does Mommy know that?"

"Yes," he said, kissing her little button nose. "Now where is Adam?"

"In time-out," she replied cheerfully as she carefully examined his eyelashes and eyelids in a way that would only be charming coming from a three-year-old.

"Why is he in time-out?"

She shrugged and ran her finger along his eyebrows. "He was being evil."

"What was he doing that was evil?"

"He poured sand in Mommy's coffee and told Grandpa to go jump off the roof. But I'm a good girl. I'm like Ella. And when I grow up, I'm going to be just like Mommy!"

"That's a good goal," her father told the cheerful little girl. "What does Adam want to be when he grows up?"

"A pirate," Naomi announced.

"He wants to be a pirate?"

"Of course, all boys want to grow up and be pirates."

Daniel smiled unsure as to if he'd ever had much interest in piracy as a boy. He'd always wanted to do whatever Alex did. And as piracy had never held much of the older Meade child's interest, the younger brother never paid it very much attention either. But now he had a three-year-old son who wanted to be a pirate. Naomi wanted to be a mommy. And Ella wanted to be a princess. Halloween would be fun that year.

* * *

"We should have another baby," Betty informed her husband that evening after the Marianos had gone home and they'd put their children to bed.

Daniel adjusted his reading glasses and looked at his wife. "Oh we should, huh?"

She nodded. "I think we're ready for another baby. I'm ready for another baby."

He smiled at her. "You're still aiming for your blue-eyed daughter, aren't you?"

"Always," she replied. "I want a daughter with blue eyes. And I want more Daniel Meade babies."

"More Daniel Meade babies?" he asked.

"I like having Daniel Meade's babies. And I'm including Ella in that grouping. They're the best babies on earth."

Daniel wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "I want more babies too," he said. "I like Betty Suarez babies. I like our family. I love you and I love our family. I love being a husband and father."

She kissed his scruffy cheek. "Naomi tells me that Daddy needs to shave."

Daniel smiled. "She tells me that too."

"So when will that be happening?"

"Monday morning," he replied, rubbing his stubbly cheek against her smooth one. "You know I only shave for work. I hate shaving."

She smiled. "It's okay. I enjoy a little stubble. It makes life a little more exciting."

Daniel smiled. "That's what I like to hear."

* * *

Unfortunately, Ignacio died a few weeks later and Daniel and Betty were temporarily distracted from their efforts to continue growing their family. Betty and Hilda were broken-hearted as they laid their beloved father to rest. "He was the best man who ever lived," Justin said the night before the funeral. He paused and looked at his uncle. "No offense, Daniel, but my dad was the best, the kindest man you've ever met."

"I know," Daniel said. "He was a better man than I could ever hope to be. But he is still what I want to be."

Daniel Meade was forty years old and the father of three children. Ignacio Suarez had been many years older than him and the father of two children. But Ignacio was the best, most caring man that Daniel had ever known. And it broke his heart to lose his father-in-law, to see his wife lose her father, and his children lose their grandfather. Naomi and Adam were so young that they'd probably never remember their grandfather. Ella would probably have some memories of her grandfather but she was only five and they'd never be strong memories. And that was something that broke her father's heart. He wanted his children to know their amazing grandfather. He wanted them to know the love, devotion, and dedication that Ignacio had for his family-his daughters, his grandchildren, and other members of his family. To Ignacio, it was love that made a family, not blood. He had welcomed Daniel and the entire Meade clan into his family without question or reservation. He had been a better father to Daniel Meade than Bradford had ever tried to be or wanted to be.

* * *

At the funeral, Daniel smiled as he saw his normally hyperactive son clinging fiercely to the hand of his silently weeping mother. "Daddy," Adam whispered. "Daddy, Mommy needs a Kleenex. She's sad."

Daniel gave Adam a Kleenex to give to his mother, knowing that it would mean more to the little boy if he could give it to his mother than if his father just followed his orders. Ella was holding Justin's hand tightly with tears running down her cheeks. Justin had his free arm wrapped around his mother's shuddering shoulders. And Daniel was holding a scared and confused Naomi in his arms. She didn't exactly understand what was going on and neither did her twin brother, but both of the twins knew that something was wrong. Mommy was crying. Aunt Hilda was bawling. Justin was silent and sullen. And Daddy wasn't smiling or laughing. They knew something had to be wrong. Daddy was almost always in a good mood when he was with his children. Sometimes he argued with Mommy but generally, he was a happy person. So Naomi kept her arms wrapped around her daddy's neck because she wanted to comfort him, make him laugh and smile. She missed his smile and bright laughing blue eyes. She knew that Grandpa Ignacio wasn't waking up and she wanted him to wake up. She missed him, his warm hugs, his Spanglish that her toddler mind didn't completely understand, and his delicious cooking.

"Why won't Grandpa wake up?" Adam asked. "Mommy, tell Grandpa to wake up. I miss him."

"Sweetie, it isn't that simple," his mother whispered in his ear.

"But he's just sleeping. He's taken naps before. He always gets up and makes dinner."

Everyone in the crowded church could hear the little boy's concerns and fears. His childish questions brought smiles to the face of more than one mourner in the church. Naomi remained quiet the whole time, just hugging her father and occasionally kissing his clean-shaven cheek. She loved it when his cheeks were soft and smooth like her own. She hated it when the sandpaper of his stubble bit her cheeks and made them prickle. But she loved his warmth, the smell of his aftershave, and his hugs. "Daddy, I love you," she whispered in his ear. "Daddy, I love you."

Daniel kissed his daughter's cheek. "I love you too, princess. I love you very much."

"Tell Mommy that you love her. She needs to know. She's very sad."

* * *

At the after-funeral luncheon, Daniel took his wife aside and kissed her, first on the cheek and then on the lips. "The cheek is from Naomi. The other one is from me."

She smiled briefly and leaned her head against his chest. "I needed that. Daniel, I want my papi back."

He held her closer and kissed the top of her head. "I know, sweetie. I know. But you're strong. You're a fighter. You'll get through this. I'm here. The kids are here for you. We love you."

"I know. But he's my daddy. I lost him. It's hard."

"I know. I remember when my dad died."

She clung to him sadly, tears staining his dark blue shirt. And he just held her, letting her use the expensive shirt as a tissue. His wife was more important than his wardrobe. He just stood there and held her for a long time. This was part of being a good husband; you held your wife while she cried. You comforted her in her time of need. Daniel was learning the importance of sympathy as a married man. Making your wife happy was a hugely important part of making marriage work. But then there were little things like comforting her in her grief. He knew that his children were safe with his mother. Right now, his wife needed him to be there and just hold here while she cried.

* * *

That night, Daniel put his children to bed while their mother rested. Betty was tired and overwhelmed after the funeral. She just wanted to sleep. It had been a long day and she was very sad over losing her father. Now, she just wanted to rest. So her husband willingly put his children in bed. As if understanding the stress and sadness their parents were enduring, Ella, Naomi, and Adam went to sleep without much fuss. And Daniel was grateful for this. Ella and Mimi were both usually good at falling asleep. But Adam always had to get seventy-nine drinks of water and sell three cows on ebay and make sure that the plumbing in the bathroom still worked and write his congressman a letter about the plight of the unemployed truckers. And then he would go to bed, after checking to make sure that the family werewolf was fed. There were nights when Daniel spent over an hour wrestling his son into bed. And on those days, he wondered why he wanted to have more children. But he knew that he did.

"They're all asleep," he said collapsing on the bed next to his wife.

"That was fast. Adam didn't need to check the stock market or sell anything on ebay tonight?"

He shook his head. "He just went to sleep. I think Justin wore him out. And I think he knew I wasn't in the mood for letters to his congressman."

"I don't know why he's so hyper at night."

"He's my son, darling. I do my best work at night."

"You're beyond belief," Betty replied.

"I know. But you still love me. And I love you."

"I do love you. And I need you. I need you very much, Daniel Meade. You're a good man, an amazing husband, and a wonderful father. And I need you in my life."

"I'm not going anywhere, babe. And that's a promise."

* * *

A/N: Please review! And Happy Valentine's Day!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. And I love my reviewers. You guys really keep me going.

* * *

"Daniel, what do you want for Christmas?" Betty asked her husband about two weeks before the big day.

He shrugged. "A penguin or an alpaca, I guess. I hadn't really thought about it."

She looked over at him. "Are you all right, sweetie?"

"Oh yeah, I just don't want anything big this year. Spend our money on the kids."

"So either a penguin or an alpaca would be cheap? Is that what you're suggesting?"

"I don't know. It just sounded better than telling you I didn't want anything."

"What if I found a way to get rid of the kids for a night and we did a little work on producing a sequel to what we already have?"

Daniel smiled and looked over at his wife. "I like that idea."

"I'll see what I can do. We might be able to accomplish a kid swap with Chris and Annabel."

"We take theirs for a night and then another night they take ours?"

She nodded. "Do you think we can handle seven kids for one night?"

"Well, Julia is four and she's the youngest of theirs. And our twins are almost four. I think we can do that for one night. It isn't like we'd be changing diapers or anything."

"Are you open to the possibility of changing diapers again at some undetermined point in the future?"

He nodded and kissed her forehead. "Yes, sweetie, I still want more babies."

Betty grinned. "I'm still aiming for my blue-eyed daughter."

"And I want a brown-eyed son."

She shrugged. "If you insist, I suppose we could arrange something, Mr. Meade."

Daniel grinned and kissed his wife. "I really love you. I'm so glad I married you. Someday, I should send Jesse a thank-you note for getting you pregnant and then dumping you. If he hadn't done that, I don't know if we'd still be here today."

"Oh Jesse," she sighed. "I wonder what happened to him. I don't think he ever made it big; I've never heard anything like that."

"Gio said he saw him once," Daniel said. "He came into the sandwich shop. But they don't really know each other, so they didn't talk or anything. He just said that he didn't look very happy."

"How did you and Gio end up friends?"

"It's simple. He stopped being in love with you. And then, I could handle him. Plus, he helped me with DJ and he makes good sandwiches. And the kids love him. I can't help but like the guy."

"And I can't help but like you."

"I know. I'm charming and handsome."

"That's why I fell in love with you."

* * *

Christmas Eve, Betty and Daniel had three children who did not want to go to bed because of all the "visions of sugarplums" dancing in their heads. Naomi was worried about Santa's safe arrival and Adam was worried about what Santa would give him. Ella wanted to stay up to see Santa. But by ten o'clock, all three of them were asleep. And then Betty and Daniel headed to their own bedroom. "I have a present I need to give you tonight," she told him as they got ready for bed. "The kids will be too excited tomorrow for us to have any peace and quiet when I give it to you."

He smiled. "What is it?"

"Sit down on the bed and I'll show you."

Daniel settled himself on the bed and waited patiently as his wife got something from her dresser. She handed him a red envelope and he opened it. He took out a card with no message on its front, just a picture of a teddy bear. And then he opened it up to find an ultrasound photo inside. "You're pregnant?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm due in August; I'm only about a month along."

"Another baby," he said with a smile. "We're having another baby. You know the kids are going to fight over whether we want a boy or a girl."

"Adam will want a brother and the girls will want a sister."

"But I'm the one with all the decision-making power in this one."

"And you already made the decision," his wife said.

He nodded. "I made the best possible decision."

Betty laughed. "We'll find out what we're having in a couple months. Do you have a preference?"

"Not really, we have two girls and a boy. Evening things out could be nice. But I don't really care. I have my son. Every man needs at least one son."

"My dad never had a son."

"He had me. I'm almost as good as a son. And he had Justin; in a lot of ways, he really was Justin's father."

"Okay, if you say so," Betty replied.

Daniel smiled and kissed his wife. "You're pregnant." He exposed her belly and kissed her still-flat stomach. "We're having another baby. Okay, in there, listen up. This is your daddy speaking."

Betty laughed and ran her hands through her husband's hair as he lectured their unborn baby about how to treat his or her mother. When she met him probably ten years earlier, she never would have guessed that Daniel Meade would be such an amazing father. She never would have picked that playboy as the type to become a loving, devoted father. But here he was, talking to her belly and telling bedtime stories to their children. This man was a miracle as far as she was concerned. She had always known that Daniel had potential but he still managed to blow her away on a daily basis. He was such a good husband and father. And he genuinely loved being married and having children.

* * *

The next morning, they had three energetic children in their bedroom before eight o'clock jumping up and down on their bed wanting to go see what Santa had left them. Naomi laid down next to her father and snuggled up to him. Adam, meanwhile, jumped up and down screaming "I want presents!" Ella was sitting in between her parents' pillow explaining to her mother why they had to go downstairs right away to open presents. "If we don't open them right away, Santa might come back and take them away."

Betty laughed. "Sweetie, Santa will not take back your presents. They'll still be there no matter how long it takes us to go downstairs."

"But I want to open them now!"

"But Daddy and I are tired."

"I'm not!" Adam announced. "I'm not tired and I want my presents."

Betty sighed and Daniel laughed. "All right, let Mommy and I get dressed and then we'll go open presents and eat breakfast," the still-tired father said.

"Yay!" Adam squealed, jumping up and down on the bed. Betty put a hand over her face and moaned as her son jumped. Upon seeing this, Daniel grabbed his son and jumped off the bed with him in his arms. "Where are we going?" the little boy asked.

"We're going to help Daddy find a shirt to wear. Your jumping is making Mommy's tummy unhappy."

"I'm sorry," Adam said. "I don't want to make Mommy unhappy."

"Then, please don't jump on our bed right now."

"Is Mommy sick?" he asked as his father pulled on a faded, well-worn Harvard t-shirt.

"She's a little sick. Her stomach isn't feeling well."

"Why?" the little boy asked, wrapping his arms around his father's neck.

"It's hard to explain. But she'll be better soon."

"Okay, can we go open presents now?"

Daniel laughed and moved his son onto his back. "If Mommy and your sisters are ready, then we can."

"Mommy! Are you and Mimi and Ella ready to go open presents?"

Betty laughed. "We're ready."

* * *

Two months later, the twins turned four and Ella turned six. "I'm starting to feel old," Daniel said. "In the past week, I've lit fourteen candles."

"But on three different cakes," his wife replied. "You're only forty-two."

"And you're thirty-two. You're ten years younger than me."

"Which means that I will probably outlive you," she replied leaning against his chest and resting her hands on her stomach. It was still relatively small, just a small bump that looked like she'd been eating too much of late. But Daniel was already talking to the little bump. They wouldn't know what they were having for another two months. But Daniel with his typical enthusiasm and love of children-especially his children-was talking away to the baby as if it were already there. Betty's morning sickness wasn't as severe as it had been with Naomi and Adam. And at three months, she was already having almost constant cravings for sweets.

"Honey, you don't have a genetic heart condition. Of course you'll outlive me."

"I'm a woman; we tend to live longer than men. I'm ten years younger than you; that gets me bonus points. And I don't have a genetic condition. My dad did have heart disease but it's not genetic."

"So you will spend many years alone without me."

"Now you make it sound all depressing."

He laughed and kissed her forehead. "Do you really want to face the prospect of life without me?"

She shook her head and snuggled closer to him. "I don't want to spend a day without you. I hate it when you go on business trips. How do you expect me to survive years of my life without you?"

"You'll have the children," he replied. "And it's not like I'm going to die tomorrow. You have many more years left with me."

"Good," she said. "I hate sounding selfish but you're mine. You don't get to leave me. I'm keeping you forever."

Daniel smiled. "I have no intention of leaving you anytime soon. I love you far too much. I love you, all of you far too much to leave you."

She kissed him. "You're an amazing man, Daniel Meade. I love you so much."

He grinned and kissed her again. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

"Daniel, be honest with me," Betty Suarez-Meade said to her husband one night a few months later when he got home from work. She was making dinner and the kids were playing in the living room. It was a cool evening in late May and it was raining outside.

"Nothing good ever comes after that sentence," Daniel said, coming up to his wife. "That sentence is usually followed by a question about the wife's weight, haircut, clothes, or general appearance."

"Am I fat, Daniel?"

He sighed. "I knew it. You're pregnant; of course, the question would be about your weight."

"Be serious, Daniel. I feel like a horse."

"You don't look like a horse. You're six months pregnant. And you're not fat."

"Do you know what I've eaten today?" she asked, putting a hand on her round belly.

"No, but I'm guessing you're going to tell me."

"Are you making fun of me?" she asked. "I'm your fat wife, trying to tell you about my concerns and you mock me."

"I'm not making fun of you. I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm just telling you what I remember from your two previous pregnancies. You get very insecure about your weight and freak out about how much you eat even though you're not fat. You're eating for two now. It's understandable that you'll be eating more than you used to. There's a baby inside of you and you have to feed both yourself and the baby."

"I've never been skinny like the models in _Mode_."

"And that's more than fine with me. I love you because you're not like them. That's what made me fall for you. You're beautiful and you're comfortable with yourself."

"And I'm fat," she said, roughly pressing his hand against her belly. "Feel that."

And then the baby kicked his daddy's hand. Daniel started laughing and Betty just grabbed him and leaned against his chest crying. "Hey, sweetie," Daniel said, stroking his wife's head. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she said. "But he just kicked your hand. I'm sitting here whining about being fat and then the little guy just kicks your hand. I'm trying to prove to you how fat I am and then, the baby kicks you."

He smiled. "He knows who his daddy is."

"We're having a baby. There's a real baby inside of me."

"Yeah, there is. This is not our first child, sweetie. This is number four. We've been through this before."

"I get freakishly fat and whine and moan and complain and then we have the baby."

"Oh Betty, you can be ridiculous when you want."

"Hey now, I'm a hormonal pregnant woman. I'm allowed to be ridiculous."

Daniel laughed and kissed his wife's forehead. "It's all right, sweetie. I'll accept you being ridiculous. You're my wife and I love you. You're pregnant with our baby," he said, stroking her belly and kissing her cheek when she smiled. "And I'm thrilled about that."

"But I'm always crying or calling myself fat."

"And in August, we will have a beautiful little baby boy. All of this will seem to have been worth it."

"I hope so," she sighed. "I just feel like a disaster. I'm a mess. I'm emotional and hormonal. You know that it's true. One minute I'm crying and the next thing I know I'm screaming at you about something that doesn't really matter. I try to control myself around the kids but by the end of the day, all I want to do is scream and cry like I'm Adam throwing a temper tantrum."

"Are you going to stomp your feet and punch me and kick things?"

She laughed. "If it will make you laugh, I'll try it. If you laugh, I'll either start crying or actually get over it and burst out laughing. I need you, Daniel Meade."

"Well, you got relax and I'll finish making dinner."

"But you're still all dressed up from work."

Daniel laughed and kissed her cheek. "It's okay. My clothes are washable. I'll finish dinner. You go relax and enjoy our children."

She kissed him and waddled out to the living room. "I love you, sweetie. You're the best husband a psycho hormonal pregnant woman could ask for."

* * *

That night, Daniel and Betty put their children in bed before heading to the living room to watch some TV and discuss names for their unborn baby boy. "I really like the idea of using Ignacio," Daniel said. "We could honor your dad and plus, it's just a great name."

"It could be a middle name but we're not using it as a first name. Kids would call him Iggy. Think about using that name in first grade. It would suck for him."

"Point taken," the father-to-be said. "What do you think about Bradford?"

"Hell no," she replied. "I'm sorry. I know that was your father's name. But I don't like it."

Daniel sighed. "Okay, so family names are out. What do you think of Elijah?"

"It's a possibility. Put it on the list."

"Si, señora," he replied. "Or then there's Jonathan. I really like that name."

"Jonathan Ignacio Meade," she mused. "I like it."

"I do like that," he said.

"Or we could do Elijah Ignacio Meade."

He shook his head. "I don't like that as much. I really like Jonathan Ignacio Meade."

His wife nodded and leaned her head against his shoulder. Then she took his hands in her and kissed each of them before placing both of them on her belly. "Jonathan Ignacio Meade, I'd like to introduce you to your Papí. Daniel Meade, this is your youngest son, Jonathan Ignacio Meade."

The smile on Daniel's face as he kissed his wife's bulging belly. "Jonathan Ignacio Meade," he whispered and Betty shivered as his breath wisped against the sensitive skin. "You finally have a name, little guy."

Betty ran her fingers through her husband's hair and kissed the top of his head as he rested it against her chest. "Your boobs always get bigger when you're pregnant," he said.

"And they always get more sensitive to being touched when I'm pregnant," she replied.

"I know. I never get to reap the benefits of this. Your boobs get bigger and I want to touch them but it hurts you if I touch them."

"Honey, it hurts if anything touches them. It's not just you."

He lifted his head off her chest and pulled her head against his chest. "This is probably more comfortable for both of us."

She smiled and kissed his collarbone because it was the nearest thing to her. "I like this. We don't spend nearly enough time like this."

"That's because we're usually busy with the kids or work or we're tired."

"We need to get a babysitter some night before Jonathan is born and spend some quality time without kids."

She nodded. "We should do that. I'm not due for another three months; but still, we need to take advantage of what we have. The time is going to fly by us and the next thing you know we'll have a new baby and we won't be able to get away for a while."

"I think I should make you go to the spa for a day."

"Oh, like some spa really wants to deal with fat little me," she moaned.

"Hey now," Daniel said. "Stop that right now. Do you remember when Jonathan kicked you earlier in the evening?"

She smiled. "I liked that."

"I know you did. So don't call yourself fat. Just remember the baby. Remember what's waiting for us at the end."

"Another baby," Betty sighed with a smile.

* * *

Betty packed her children off to their Grandma Claire one day in mid-July while she went to the spa with Christina. She came back with a new manicure and pedicure and much more relaxed. "Only one more month until the baby," Christina remarked when they got back to the Meade house.

"I can't wait," Betty replied. "I'm so ready to not be pregnant anymore. I miss being able to see my feet."

Christina smiled. "I remember that feeling."

"This is my third pregnancy. The last one was worse; I was bigger and more uncomfortable."

"You did have two babies inside of you last time around."

Betty rested a hand on her belly. "This time there's only one. But it's a boy and he's a big one. He's a feisty little guy."

"Like his daddy," Christina said.

"And his older brother, Adam has more energy than Naomi and Ella combined. I don't know why but the Meade men are always more trouble than the Meade girls."

"The girls are more like you. The boys are more like Daniel."

The pregnant mother laughed. "I just hope that they grow up like their daddy did."

"You've had a great influence over him. He's matured a lot since meeting you. And it's because of you."

"It's not all me. I helped but I didn't change him on my own."

Christina smiled. "Say what you want. And think what you want. But without you, Daniel Meade wouldn't never have become the man he is today."

Betty laughed and shook her head. "He did a lot of it himself."

"Think what you want."

"Thank you. I will."

* * *

A few days later, Daniel came home to find Adam sitting on the bathroom counter in his parents' bathroom squeezing toothpaste into the drain. "What are you doing, little man?" he asked, picking up his mischievous son.

"I wanted to see what would happen."

"Well, you made a mess and Mommy isn't going to be very happy."

"I know. But I wanted to know what was inside."

"Well now you know."

"Lots of blue goop," Adam replied, putting his toothpaste-covered hand on his father's head.

Daniel sighed. "Adam, you can't just squeeze all of the toothpaste all over the bathroom sink."

"But I wanted to know!"

"I know. But now I have to clean up this mess and you and now my hair."

"It's okay, Daddy. I can help."

"You can help by changing your clothes and staying out of my way."

"But I want to help."

His father took a deep breath. "I know. But the best way for you to help is to stay out of my way. And then once you're changed, tell your mother that you need a ten-minute time-out."

"Fine," Adam sighed. And then he stomped off to his bedroom as soon as his father set him down. "But I don't like this, Daddy. I don't like you."

"Life isn't a popularity contest," Daniel muttered to himself.

* * *

A/N: Please review!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. I do LOVE reviewers, so please keep up with that.

* * *

Betty was watching Daniel sleep. She was past eight months pregnant and far too uncomfortable to sleep for more than an hour at a time anymore. The baby was never still and she just couldn't find a comfortable position for her belly. So she had given up sleeping and taken to watching Daniel sleep. He was so cute, sleeping with one arm tucked under his pillow and the other haphazardly hanging over the edge of the bed. He was drooling, as he often did, and he was grinning. She ran a tired hand over his bare washboard abs and the smile grew. "Oh, ummmm, hmmm," he moaned as she touched his belly button. She laughed and patted his chest. Then she reached out for her pillow and clung to it. Then she felt his fingers against her swollen belly and she sighed.

"What?" he sighed. "You can feel me up while I'm sleeping but I can't return the favor?"

She giggled as his skilled fingers worked their way around her belly and then began working their way up to her breasts. "Hey now, no," she said, slapping his hands away from her boobs. "I've told you before, Daniel. Please don't touch my boobs."

He wrapped his arm around her and held her close. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm sorry. I forgot. You know I'm a hands-on guy."

Betty laughed and kissed his collarbone. "I know. But they hurt so badly. Blame your son."

Daniel laughed and kissed her belly. "Jonathan, behave in there."

* * *

The next morning was Saturday, which meant it was Daniel's turn to make breakfast. DJ was visiting, which meant he was able to entertain his younger cousins while his "cool rich American uncle" cooked and Betty took a shower. DJ was about to start his junior year at Harvard, following the Meade family tradition to his uncle's and grandmother's delight. And then he spent May and June in France with his uncle and then July and August with Daniel and Betty. His three younger cousins adored him and looked forward to his visits. They also loved their occasional family trips to Boston to visit him.

So Daniel wasn't surprised to see DJ come into the kitchen with Naomi attached to one leg, Ella on the other, and Adam on his back. "I've been attacked."

"Daddy, he's the giant purple people-eater!" Adam exclaimed. "He has to be destroyed."

"But he's your cousin."

"I don't care," the little boy piped up. "He east people. We can't keep him. So Mimi and Ella and I are going to fix it."

Daniel retrieved Mimi from DJ's leg. "What do you have to say for yourself, little lady?"

"I love you, Daddy!" she replied enthusiastically, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek.

Her father laughed and kissed her cheek. "I love you too, angel."

"What about me?" Ell asked, detaching herself from her cousin's leg. "Do you love me?"

Daniel scooped his older daughter onto his other hip and leaned back against the counter to help support the two little girls. "Of course I love you, my Ella-bella. You're wonderful. Where would I be without you?"

"I'm going to kill the dragon," Adam announced. "Come on, dragon. Let's go back to the living room."

"I thought I was the people eater."

"You aren't anymore. You're a fish-eating dragon now."

"Okay," his cousin amicably replied.

"We can't have a people-eater in the house. You might eat my baby brother."

DJ laughed. "I won't eat Betty's baby. I'm a nice dragon."

"I know. But I have to make sure."

Betty walked into the kitchen to find her husband making waffles while wearing an apron, a blinking pink tiara, and large pink clip-on earrings. "Why, Ms. Meade, you look stunning," she teased.

"Oh, you know you love it," he replied.

"I never knew I was married to Danielle Meade. I thought Alexis was the only transsexual in the family."

He made a face at her. "Ella and Naomi wanted someone to play with them. Since you were busy, I was volunteered. But you can have my crown and jewels."

"But you look so pretty, Danielle."

He stuck his tongue out at her and took off the tiara and earrings. "If I'm a woman, how did you get pregnant?" he asked, patting her belly.

"Some really steamy guy with big blue eyes and a fabulously delicious body seduced me. I'm not to blame at all."

"Lucky guy," he replied. "How are you doing this morning?"

"I just want to give birth. I can't sleep and I'm so hot all the time and I just want to sleep without someone kicking my bladder. And my back is killing me. I want to see my feet and eat without heartburn. I'm 38 weeks along. Can't my water just break right now?"

And then as she started moaning and squeezing his arms, Daniel started to laugh. "Um, sweetie, I think you got your wish," he said looking down at the pool of fluid they were both standing in.

* * *

Less than four hours later, Betty was holding her newborn son, Jonathan Ignacio Meade. Jonathan was twenty-three inches long and weighed close to ten pounds. He had big brown eyes and a poof of light brown fluff on his head. "He's beautiful," Betty sighed.

Daniel kissed his wife's lips and then baby Jonathan's forehead. "I'm so proud of you."

"It just all happened so fast. One minute I was in the kitchen and before I knew what was what, I was pushing him out."

"And you were amazing."

"I didn't even need drugs."

"I know," he said. "And I'm proud of you. But now, beautiful mother, do you want me to go get the other kids?"

She nodded. "I want them to meet their new baby brother."

* * *

"Can we play with him?" Adam asking running into the room.

"I want to hold him," Ella said flying at her mother's hospital bed. "Can I hold him, Mommy? Please?"

Betty laughed as Daniel slowly lifted their oldest daughter onto the bed. Then her mother carefully handed the new baby to his big sister with instructions and guidance as to how to hold the little guy. But she couldn't help smiling at the look on Ella's face as she held her little brother. She looked so happy, so contented. She kissed his little forehead and beamed up at her father and his camera. And then both of the twins wanted a turn holding their new baby brother. "He's mine," Adam announced to his parents as soon as his mother had settled Jonathan in his arms. "I get to keep him in my room."

Betty laughed. "Sweetie, Jonathan's going to be sleeping with Mommy and Daddy for a while."

"But I want him in my room."

"You'll have him there when he gets a little bigger. But for now, he needs to be with Mommy so she can feed him in the middle of the night. You don't want him to wake you up at all hours of the night."

"I like sleeping. But I like the baby too."

Betty smiled and kissed the top of her older son's head. "I love you, pumpkin. And I'm sure your little brother loves you too."

"I love him too!" Naomi announced from her father's arms. "I love baby Jonathan."

"So do I," Ella said.

"I love all four of you," Betty told her children.

"What about me?" Daniel asked. "Do you love me?"

"I love you, Daddy!" Naomi said, kissing her father's cheek. "But you need to shave."

Both of her parents burst out laughing and then Daniel rubbed his stubbly cheek against Naomi's baby-smooth one and told her, "I'll shave later. I promise."

"Okay, Daddy," she sighed. "I'll you get away with it for Jonathan."

"Thank you," he replied. "I'm sure your mother and your little brother appreciate it."

"Can DJ hold him now?" Ella asked. "I bet he would like Jonathan."

"I'll go get him," Daniel replied. "Mimi, do you want to come with me?"

"Okay," was her eager reply. "I like him."

* * *

And of course, DJ loved Jonathan the minute he laid eyes on him. "He looks a lot like Ella and Naomi did when they were born," he said.

"No blue eyes," Daniel remarked.

"Exactly," was his nephew's response. "He doesn't have your eyes like Adam does. But he does have hair like yours."

"Which is also like Adam."

"And Naomi has your nose. And Ella has your ears and your smile."

Daniel grinned. People were always telling him that Ella had either his nose or his ears and his smile. He loved hearing the things that people found to connect him to his first born child. But yes, he was her father. Genetics weren't everything. Diaper changes and late-night feedings or long walks with a colicky baby were the true hallmarks of a father. He had been there for Ella's first words and first steps. He had helped her learn how to ride a bike. And where had Jesse been for all of that? Well, Daniel didn't know the answer to that but he hadn't been being a devoted husband and father. "I have four children," he said out loud. "I have four beautiful, wonderful children."

"And a wife who loves you," his nephew reminded him.

"I'll never forget that one. I'm a very lucky man, DJ."

"I hope to get half as lucky as you have."

Daniel nodded. "I think you will. Marriage and fatherhood are amazing."

"They've certainly done you no harm."

"What are you talking about? They've grayed my hair and lessened the amount of sleep I get every night."

"And you love every moment of it. You'd rather spend time with your children than sleep."

"Remind me of that in about a month when I haven't slept in a month."

DJ laughed. "I will. But is it really that bad?"

Daniel sighed. "DJ, Adam woke up three times a night every single night until he was four months old. And other babies have done worse."

"Ella was worse?"

"No, oh no! Ella only woke up once or twice a night at her worst. But other people we know have had babies who slept less. Ella's friend, Peter, used to wake up every two hours and just scream when he was a baby. His mom would feed him and rock him but he took forever to calm down. Thankfully, he's grown out of that one. Adam has definitely been our roughest child. Naomi is just so laid back; she could sleep for a year if you let her. And Ella likes having attention but she spent so much time as a sick baby in the NICU that she really values her sleep. The nurses woke her up several times every night and she always a grumpy little girl about it."

DJ laughed. "But now she'll gladly wake you up when she wants you to play with her."

"She only does that for Christmas these days," Daniel replied. "It's rough getting her up on school days. And on weekends, she usually sleeps until eight-thirty."

"That's not late."

"For a little kid, it is. Adam is up by six-thirty most weekends."

"Six-thirty? Why do you let him get away with it?"

"He can't tell time. But we also make him stay in his room until at least seven or seven-thirty."

"Well, Jonathan had better sleep better than that while I'm around. I like my sleep."

Daniel hugged his twenty-year-old nephew. "We'll try to keep him in line."

* * *

Betty's favorite picture of baby Jonathan would come to be one of her little guy with Daniel. One night when Jonathan was about two or three weeks old she had come into their bedroom after putting the older three children to bed to find Daniel sitting on the bed with Jonathan. Jonathan was snuggled up against his father's chest, yawning. His bright blue eyes were open and warm. Daniel wasn't looking at the camera, rather watching something on TV. But Jonathan's eyes were fixed on his mother. Daniel was very scruffy, as it was a Sunday night and he refused to shave on the weekends. But it was such a tender moment, so genuine and adorable. He was just being Daddy. She had other pictures like this too. One of her favorites was a picture of Daniel holding Jonathan while sitting on the couch surrounded by Ella, Naomi, and Adam. They were all snuggled around Daddy and trying to touch their new baby brother. And Daniel was so protective, so careful in how he held Jonathan. One hand gently cradled the baby's head while the other carefully supported his body. He was so good with the baby. And that was something she had never expected. She had never expected Daniel Meade to be a natural father, so gentle and careful with his children.

Adjusting from three to four children was much easier than adjusting from one to three children had been. The house was admittedly louder and neither parent was getting much sleep. But Adam, Naomi, and Ella were all somehow miraculously sleeping through the night. Jonathan would typically sleep for about three hours at a stretch and then wake up wanting to eat and have his diaper changed. Then he'd stare at his parents for a while and then go back to sleep. "He's a pretty good baby," Annabel Mariano commented one evening when she was visiting the Meade family.

"He is," Betty agreed. "He isn't very fussy. But he does wake up at least twice a night, usually three times."

"But he's still young," Annabel replied. "Danny was like that when he was younger. But he grew out of it really quickly."

"And on the other hand, Peter didn't."

"No, but he eventually grew out of that. We had some rough months there. But he's six and a half now. And he sleeps through the night normally as long as it isn't Christmas Eve."

Betty laughed. "Ours are the same way. They'll sleep through the night any night of the year except Christmas Eve. Last year we had kids jumping on the bed at seven in the morning and Daniel and I considered ourselves successful parents."

Annabel laughed. "I know how you feel. On Christmas morning, we had four children jumping up and down on top of us. Danny is getting a little better about it; he didn't wake up with the rest of them. But the younger three were all over us at like seven-thirty."

Jonathan gurgled and stirred in his sleep. "He's so patient," Betty said, stroking her son's foot. "He'll let anyone hold him. Naomi and Adam are always trying to hold him and jostling him and he just sleeps through all of it."

"He is a patient baby. But Julia was like that too. Lucy and Danny were always trying to hold her, so she got used to it. Peter was afraid of her."

"All three of ours are enamored of their baby brother. They just worship him and they all want to hold him and play with him constantly."

"They're good siblings."

"You have some good children, Betty. Mine aren't much trouble either, compared to other people's kids. But yours are good ones. Adam is very energetic. But he's a good little guy."

Betty smiled and took her son from her friend's arms. "They are good ones. I'm very lucky to have Daniel and these kids."

"I'll second that. You have the husband that a million girls would kill for. He's handsome, a good father, and caring."

"He's an amazing guy."

"How did you land him?"

"I was his assistant," Betty said simply. "And we fell in love, as thing usually go."

Annabel laughed. "You always say that. You never give more detail."

"It's kind of awkward. I was seeing someone else when we got together. It was kind of an accident."

"And you had Ella before you were married?"

Betty nodded. "We weren't exactly planning on Ella. We'd only been together for a few months when we found out that I was pregnant."

"That's not the most romantic story ever."

"No, but it's our story."

Annabel smiled. "You two are so lucky."

"You've got a great husband of your own."

"We're going through a rough patch right now. Betty, you know that I've had three miscarriages in the past four years. That puts a lot of stress on a marriage."

"But you'll make it through it."

She sighed. "I hope so. We're both stressed. Nate really wants another baby. And so do I. Three miscarriages-that's stressful."

Betty nodded and kissed her baby's forehead. "I know. And I really hope you two can have another baby."

"First we need to fix our marriage. What we really ought to do is just spend a weekend alone without any kids, just Nate and Annabel. It's the only way we'll ever actually talk to each other."

"Daniel and I could take your kids for a weekend. We'll do it if it will help you."

"Are you serious? That would be so amazing."

"If you two need it, we'll do it."

* * *

And that is how Daniel and Betty found themselves with eight children under the age of ten one weekend in October while Nate and Annabel went to Maine for the weekend. "But they need time alone more than we do," Betty told Daniel on Friday night once they'd gotten everyone in bed.

He sighed. "I know. I'm worried about them. I don't want us to end up where they are."

"I know," his wife said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Just don't become a workaholic. And make sure that we talk without the kids for at least twenty minutes every day."

Daniel nodded and held his wife close to his body. "I had to fight hard to get you. I'm not letting you go. I had to watch too many men hurt you. I can't ever do that to you."

"Did Henry really bother you?"

"Do you need to ask me that? I wanted to snap his pasty little neck every single time I saw him touch you. He had no right to be messing with you when he had Charlie and the baby back in Arizona. He is a good man deep down and that's what pissed me off the most. I could never figure out why he didn't understand what was wrong with what he was asking of you. He should have known better. He should have respected you more."

"But I had a say in it too."

"You were in love with him. You wanted to be with him and you had the chance."

"Oh, come on, Daniel. I knew he was leaving. I knew that I would get my heart broken."

He sighed. "But you loved him. You wanted to believe that he would stay for you."

She nodded. "I thought he might love me enough."

"But instead he wanted you to come to Arizona."

"But I wanted more out of life than just that. In the end, I wanted more than he could offer me."

"And then there was Jesse."

Betty put her hands over her face and sighed. "That was a disaster. But it gave us Ella."

"And it brought us together."

She smiled. "I'm glad we have Ella. I'm very glad that we have her. I don't know if we'd be here today if it weren't for her."

"We'll never have to find out," he told her. "This is the life we have now and it's the only one we'll ever have."

* * *

Daniel and Betty found themselves taking care of the four Mariano children for a weekend every few months for the next year. Jonathan grew to be a big baby with a cheerful disposition. His older siblings adored him; he was always in someone's lap or arms. Ella wanted to take him to school for show-and-tell but her mother stopped that idea. In September, Adam and Naomi started kindergarten and in October, Jonathan took his first steps. And in December, Annabel Mariano told Betty that she was pregnant. "I'm four months pregnant. I made it safely through the first trimester this time."

Betty hugged her friend eagerly. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, I think it's partially because of you and Daniel that this happened. You guys have helped me reconnect with Nate and save our marriage."

Betty shrugged and smiled. She didn't know what to say to that comment other than "You're our friends; we have to look out for you. Someday, one of your kids is going to marry one of ours after all."

Annabel laughed. "It'll probably be Ella and Peter. He told me the other day that she is his best friend."

"That'll end when he decides she has cooties in a year or two."

"True but he'll eventually rediscover the female of the species. We may yet have grandchildren in common."

"I am not ready to think about grandchildren yet," Betty replied. "I'm still changing Jonathan's diapers."

"Well, I doubt that this will be happening anytime soon. But it is fun to think about what might happen in the future."

Betty grinned. "It is. I'd like it if Peter and Ella got married someday-many years from now."

Annabel smiled. "It's so weird to think that someday my kids will be adults. They won't be living with me or expecting me to clean up their messes or any of that. I'll be able to go on vacation and see more than the bathroom of every rest stop between here in Seattle."

"Well, you have at least eighteen more years of having children at home," Betty told her friend.

She laughed. "It's not as bad as I say. I love my kids."

"I know what you mean. They're a lot of work, but they're worth every minute of it. I wouldn't trade these kids in for anything."

* * *

A/N: I could make this longer but it's been a while since I updated, so we're going with this. Enjoy it! And please review! It really makes me more likely to keep posting.


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